Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There was one fact that stuck in Chessy’s mind more than anything since the virus took; “The crazies are sane.”

That couldn’t have been more true soon after Chessy left the Parker’s Vineyard, after nearly fifteen years of service, to care for her doomsday father.

Carmine Figgali spent most of Chessy’s adolescence building the doomsday shelter underneath their family home in North Maryland. When most little girls got playhouses and dollies for Christmas, Chessy got survival packs and compasses. She hated it. She was embarrassed and annoyed by her father’s constant rants about all the ways the world was mere seconds from falling apart. As she blossomed into womanhood, they fought more. She wanted to see the world and he wanted her to hide from it. It was just her and her father in a dark basement. Just a girl, her father, and his ever growing paranoia. She didn’t want to spend her life watching him rot and fall deeper into the tricks of his mind. It hurt too much. So the moment she turned eighteen, she ran.

She ran across the country to the beautiful rolling hills of California and stayed there. Everyone was sun-kissed, open and wild. She would go out dancing almost every weekend. She would meet anyone and everyone she could. She worked odd jobs to stay alive; a dishwasher, a dog walker, a dance instructor, a receptionist and the list went on. She enjoyed her vagabond lifestyle but a part of her craved some stability. Then she saw a flyer on the trusty bulletin board near the park.

“NEEDED: NANNY FOR TWO NEW BORN INFANTS! ROOM AND BOARD PROVIDED! STARTING AT $8/hr!….”

It was double the minimum wage jobs she was working, and living with artist-boyfriend-of-the-week wasn’t holding her interest. One week later, she was interviewing with an overwhelmed Nick and a very pregnant Elizabeth. She was practically hired on the spot. The Parkers felt like family from day one. And they remained her family. But as she eased into pseudo-motherhood with the girls, and then just Hallie, she couldn’t help but think of her dad. Every few months, she’d give him a call. Telling him that she’s alright and any major milestones in her life. He’d respond with a grunt. He didn’t want to talk. Didn’t approve of her choices but he always picked up. Always. Then one day, he didn’t.

A stroke. A severe one.

By the grace of god, he had a meeting with a longtime, and probably, only friend. They found him and brought him to the hospital. It wasn’t a question if she would come home but when. She arrived with Martin on a redeye that night. Her Dad died two weeks later. Three days after that, the world ended.

Now, a spitting image of her father, Chessy inched closer to the hole.

Barrel aimed.

Her breath steady.

She heard a groan and a couple curses. From the pitch it sounded human, but it could be someone in the early stages. She inched closer.

“I got a gun!” She called out

“Good for you!” An annoyed voice called back

“You bit?”

“Are you?”

Chessy paused. This was not how the usual conversation goes.

“No?”

Another groan.

“Are you injured?”

“Ankle. First year out of heels and this is the time that I…” another groan.

Chessy was nearing the lip of the hole, gun ready. A tuft of bright blonde hair came into view, sharp eyebrows and two wide blue eyes looking up at her. It took a moment but, suddenly, recognition hit the both of them.

“Chessy!?!” Meredith breathed

“Well, I’ll be damned….”

“What the hell are you doing in Maryland?”

“I could ask you the same.”

The mirth in her own voice took the former nanny by surprise. Meredith glared up from the hole, holding up her hands.

“Im not bit. Im not infected. I can’t move my ankle and I have no weapons. So if you’re going to kill me, just shoot me and fill the hole. Or you can help me out of here and I’ll be on my way. Either way, I’m not a threat to you.”

“Mmm you got me there.”

“Great. So are you going to drop your John Wayne act and help me? Or not?”

Chessy held her breath for a moment. Survival is a selfish game. She had made it this far by flying solo. She hid in a hole of her own and out-lived most of her loved ones. It felt foreign to “help out” anyone. She wouldn’t put it past Meredith to be hiding a dagger, to reach out for a helping hand then come in with a fatal blow the moment she was free. But as she took in the disheveled woman, in a dirty Juicy Velour track suit and an annoyed look on her face. She couldn’t help but lose to her maternal nature. Slowly, she lowered her gun and crouched down. She extended her hand and after a moment of hesitation from Meredith, their hands met.

Unceremoniously, they managed to yank the cursing woman back to the surface. Meredith stood at her full height before hissing and, instinctually, shifting her weight onto the other woman.

She was warm. Alive and human. The simple touch of another person, not between blows, but simple contact, felt foreign. It had been so long since either were near another person like this.

“That damn hole crippled me!” Meredith exclaimed

“Yeah, that’s ho traps work.”

Meredith rolled her eyes. Slowly, Chessy crouched again to examine the injured party.

“That’s swelling up pretty bad, already.”

“Do you think its broken?”

“Hard to tell. Plus, you're filthy.”

“Yeah, that’s how homelessness works.”

Chessy released a snort. She forgot how quick she was.

They both glanced back at the house. The sunset painted the spacious, white, colonial styled home in gold. Just a handful of years ago, the two storied home would’ve been considered old and unsightly. But now its practically a mirage at the end of the desert. A full roof, only a couple broken windows and the cherry on top; running water. The house was a prize because it’s inhabitant kept it that way. The perimeter was surrounded by boobytraps and Chessy kept a close eye on the security footage filming around the clock. She fought any chance of having to shoot someone from getting in but she’s done it a time or two. But god that house really was beautiful. A few years ago, Chessy would’ve wrapped her arms around Martin’s waist and they’d discuss their plans to fill the house with rambunctious children and obnoxious relatives. A part of her winces at the memory of Marty. She tried to avoid thinking of him, push him to the back of her mind but he always managed to float back to the forefront, almost daily.

“Listen, Im not going to beg or anything…” Meredith began, pulling Chessy’s attention to the present “I know how to take care of myse -“

“You’ll stay the night,” Chessy interrupted, “you’ll attract The Infected to my perimeter if they sense an injured party nearby.”

“Ok.”

“Just the night.”

“Just the night.”

“Jesus Christ, you seriously smell.”

“Stop hitting on me.”
—————————————————-

Hot water. Blessed, perfect, nearly erotic hot water cascaded over Meredith’s body. She didn’t care about the throbbing in her leg. She didn’t care about hunger gnawing away at her for the past two weeks. All she cared about was the waves of comforting heat washing away every event since she left California.

A muffled voice spoke to her. Begrudgingly, she pulled her head from the stream of water.

“What!?!”

“I…have clothes for you on the bed.”

“Oh…thanks” she called back, “I’ll be another minute. Or twelve.”

Chessy grumbled something before her footsteps carried her away.

Chessy.

A face from another lifetime.

When landing the next deal or avoiding that pesky period bloat was the most of her worries. She wouldn’t call back then “simpler” times. They had their own complications because life always does. But then, she got to choose what complicated her life. She got to wake up each day and decide what she wanted to do. Now, life was in constant motion. A mouse scurrying through a maze. Dodging her way from Infected, quarantine lockdowns, roving droves of bandits and radicals.

She hobbled her way out the bathroom with a towel, a blessed CLEAN towel, wrapped around her. She stepped out to find Chessy waiting for her, perched on the bed, back turned to her. She glanced for half-a-second over her shoulder before speaking to the window a head of her.

“Uh…its easier to check your leg before you dress. There’s a blanket in the dresser beside you if you need more…uh…coverage.”

“Oh please,” Meredith snorted, “We’ve all been to college.”

The taller woman plopped on the bed before more gingerly lifting her leg, propping her ankle upon the pillow provided at the foot of the bed. Chessy cleared her throat before turning to address the task at hand. In the hour since Meredith plummeted into the hole, her ankle had doubled in size and turning an ugly shade of purple. They both grimaced at the sight of it. Chessy held up a hand and Meredith nodded. Chessy’s fingers barely grazed the swelling joint before Meredith was hissing and cursing.

“Did you hear anything when you fell?”

“Other than me shouting ‘fuck!’? No.”

“It’s swollen but nothing looks out of place. I think it’s just a sprain.”

“Lucky me.” Meredith replied, blandly.

“I’m gonna wrap it. Keep it on for a few days, ok?”

“Whatever you say.”

Chessy rolled her eyes but quickly went to work.

“Ow! Fuck! Easy!”

“Well, stop squirming and I can help you faster. Jesus, you’re worse than a child.”

“What? Hallie was a perfect angel when her ligaments were being man handled?”

Chessy froze. Meredith as well. It’s an unspoken rule for anyone, on the very rare occasion, when they meet a familiar face; The past stays in the past.

Loss was a daily occurrence since the virus hit, but it didn’t make it any less painful. Meredith struggled to find the right words to say next.

"Im sorry” felt pedantic.

“Do you want to talk about it?” felt moronic.

So she settled with, “you got any meds?”

Chessy relaxed, just slightly, and continued wrapping.

“I have expired Tylenol and even more expired Aleve.”

“Oooh name brand! Someone’s a high roller.”

Meredith heard a chuckle and accepted the small win.

“What do you prescribe, Doctor?”

“Well, Miss Blake,” Chessy replied, putting on a professional tone, “our clinic prefers to go the more traditional route. I’d recommend elevating the foot, giving it a couple’s days rest and as for pain…” Chessy finally lifted her head with a smile, “wine and pasta.”

“Now that’s a plan I can get behind.”

“Great! Get dressed. Meet you downstairs in ten.”

Chessy promptly plopped the foot back on the pillow and stood.

“Wait! I’m injured! You’re going to make me walk downstairs for food!?”

“Yep.”

“I have to elevate my foot!”

“I have chairs.” Chessy stated, not bothering to look back as she made her way out the door.

“You’re a shit host!”

“You can stay up here and starve.”

“Chessy!”

“I think I have pie as well…” Chessy’s voice continued, floating away.

Meredith chucked a pillow at the door.

———————————

Chessy busied herself mixing in the sauce as she listened to her unexpected guest fumble her way down the stairs. The sense of someone else in her house unnerved her, yet the feel of cooking for someone else felt familiar. Usually, the way she moved about the world was mechanical. One job done after another. Quick and efficient. But in this moment, Chessy was fluid. She took her time taking out the plates. Plates. Plural. She didn’t place the pasta in an unceremonious splat. She pulled out a large spoon and twirled it into a volcano-like shape and carefully placed it on the plate. She pulled out the cheese. The good cheese. A wedge of Romano. Saved for Sundays.

She grated it over the pasta, watching the flakes fall onto her dinner like snow. She appreciated the steam winding it’s way up into the ether.

“I would hate you if that didn’t smell so good.” Meredith stated, shuffling in.

“I’ll hate you for the both of us then.” Chessy replied, “Wine is on the table.”

Chessy placed the food before her guest and though she’d never admit it, seeing the way Meredith’s face lit up at the sight of her work, made her entire week.

“I forgot what a great cook you are.”

“Not like I ever cooked for you, Miss I’ll-Just-Have-A-Grapefruit.”

To her surprise, her guest let out a laugh.

“Hard to believe there was a time that carbs were my greatest fear.”

Chessy lifted her eyebrows but didn’t respond as she took a seat. The two said nothing as they enjoyed their first few bites of dinner.

“Sorry there’s no meat,” Chessy said quietly, “I haven’t been able to hunt for a while.”

“That’s ok, I’m not a big meat person.”

Chessy watched the woman in front of her inhale her meal. Meredith had always been thin but examining her now, she could see the past year had taken a toll. Meredith looked more sharp than usual. Her cheekbones stuck out more, further highlighting the dark circles under her eyes. Her collarbones were prominent and it wouldn’t take much of guess to know she was probably showing a rib or two. Her skin didn’t appear as vibrant from what she remembered. Yet, despite her emaciated state. Despite the cuts and bruises that littered her body. Despite the few stress lines that painted her face. Chessy couldn’t deny that Meredith was still beautiful. She was breathtaking.

Heat crept up to her cheeks when she realized Meredith was looking back at her. Quickly, she glanced away noting the wine hadn’t been poured. She reached for it.

“I got it.” Meredith said, before examining at the label and grimacing.

“Not a fan of red?”

“No, this label is barely legible. What nitwit designed this?”

“Oh right. I forgot you were in marketing.”

“Publicity, but different part of the same beast.”

“Was it the butt?”

“No, marketing was the butt. Publicity was the balls.”

They shared a smile.

“Who knew the apocalypse would make you so funny.”

“I’ve always been funny. Maybe you just never noticed.”

“Got me there.”

Chessy returned to her pasta as Meredith poured.

Chapter Text

It had been a week since Meredith arrived, Chessy allowed her to stay until her ankle healed if she was willing to pitch in. Just a few days. That’s what she would tell herself, at least. They had fallen into a routine. Chessy would be up early, checking the security footage from the night before. Meredith would wake up a couple hours later, she’d make herself a coffee and freshen up Chessy’s. She would make some toast, the one and only food she’s able to cook without nearly burning down the house. They would have their morning meal together. The first few were mostly in silence, but as the days went by, they grew accustomed to one another’s company.

After breakfast, they’d take their “morning stroll” which was a slow meander about the property, checking the traps and trip wires. Meredith surprised her new roommate with her knowledge of security strategies.

“What?” She laughed at Chessy’s shocked expression, “I’ve lived in four quarantine zones. You think I wouldn’t learn about the very gates keeping me in?”

Chessy simply shrugged with a small smile.

“Why’d you leave?”

“Leave?”

“The zones.”

“Ah, you know, the usual.” Meredith said flippantly, “Someone gets antsy and leaves the safety zone. They get bit. Their section is ‘moved temporarily for population safety’ only to never return. Slowly each section is moved, and you get this funny little inkling that if you don’t leave soon, you’ll be done for.”

Chessy looked away, embarrassed. Life alone in her cave was by no means easy but she forgot how good she had it. She’s had something many people had been denied for over a year, a home.

“How’d you end up here? In Maryland?”

“Dave.”

“Dave?”

“FEDRA officer I was sleeping with.”

Chessy grimaced.

“What? Not all of us have an entire doomsday shelter to inherit. You have to work with what you got. Plus, its not like I really did anything dirty. You’d be surprised what a guy will do for you if you just bat your eyes and make him feel special.”

Chessy halted Meredith by grabbing her arm and giving her bicep a squeeze.

“Oh my!” Chessy exclaimed in a breathy, southern accent, “You’re sooo strong! You could just crush me in those big ‘ol arms.”

“Don’t worry, baby” Meredith replied in her manliest voice, pulling the other woman into her arms “I’ll protect you!”

Chessy delicately fanned herself with her hand.

“Oh heavens me! My heart is all a flutter!”

“Well, my lady I -“

Their playful banter was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot in the distance, followed by a faint cry. Both their heads whipped in the direction of the disturbance. Chessy quickly grabbed her gun from her holster.

“Go to the house.” She ordered,”Go into the panic room and lock it. I’ll knock three times if…when I return.”

“I’m not leaving you!”

“I can’t protect you if you’re injured.”

“That’s redi-“

“Meredith! Go. To. The. House!”

The blonde pursed her lips as she glanced between the distant woods and Chessy’s face. With a huff, she turned, and began her slow trek back.

—————————————————

Rarely does Meredith Elaine Blake do what she is told. It had always gone against her nature. But something in the way Chessy looked at her made her turn around.

“Fucking ridiculous” she grumbled, for possibly the ninth time, as she keyed in the lock code.

The door let out a loud beep and click as it secured into place. As she took in her surroundings, she realized, she hadn’t really spent any time down in the basement tuned panic room. She mainly stayed in the house or around the perimeter. She wanted to adventure more of the abandoned neighborhood but a part of her feared Chessy would shoot her dead if she risked it. No, not really. If Chessy wanted her dead she would’ve been a body in a hole before she could’ve gotten a word out. As much as she grumbled about her unwelcome visitor, they both knew the former nanny saved her life. Why? She wasn’t sure.

Meredith took the time to examine the walls of guns and ammo. She passed by the maps with barely decipherable notes scribbled about them. She was drawn to the three of computer screens illuminating the room. Her leg ached so she gingerly eased herself into the desk chair pushed against the workspace. Notes, in a more legible handwriting, was spread out before her. A half-full coffee cup and a pair of glasses were placed nearby. So this is where her savior spent her mornings. Meredith looked over the screens to see if she could get a glimpse of what was happening out there.

Nothing.

She thought she saw a flash of a foot but she wasn’t sure. She forced air out of her nose in frustration. It had only been a week, and yet, she had become accustomed to Chessy’s presence. If Chessy died out there, she’d probably stay put. Pick up the gauntlet. Where else would she go? Usually, the thought of losing her latest survival companion didn’t faze her too much. But she didn’t like sitting with the feeling of…

Never mind.

She was just anxious. Who wouldn’t be? When sitting in a creepy ass doomsday basement.

She started to read the notebook in front of her to occupy her mind.

03:25. - movement west side trees, foxy

05:17 - Infect. Kill shot, North creek, 7th trip canon.

Yikes.

Meredith turned the page. A series of lists.

Ammo - 2 crates
Powder - 4 crates
TP - low - high priority
Perishables - moderate - ration minimum
Potable Water - moderate - ration minimum

Reset canon #7
Check generator #2

Radio static, two bursts?

She likes the lilacs

"She likes the lilacs." she read, out loud.

The corner of her mouth turned up. A bed of wild lilacs were growing on the far side of the tool shed in the backyard. She admired them each time they passed by during their “strolls”. She had no idea Chessy even noticed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Meredith jumped out of her skin and instinctually reached for the nearest weapon when she remembered Chessy’s instructions. Quickly, she hobbled her way to the door and plugged in the release code. The door swung open.

“You ok!?!” they asked in unison

They smiled for half a second before Chessy made her way inside.

“What happened?” Meredith inquired, following Chessy back to the computers.

“Foxy jumped a trip wire.” Chessy explained, “Shame. She was a tough ol’ girl.”

“Foxy?”

Chessy didn’t answer right away as she clicked through the cameras before relaxing and turning to face her.

“Just one of the animals who lives by the creek.”

“Ah, ok.”

Meredith examined Chessy, she’d hardened in her solitude. The creases between brows had deepened, her skin had been tanned and aged from her time in the sun, her eyes were still a lovely shade of green. Her eyes used to sparkle with a hint of mischief whenever she caught her and Nick in a compromising position. That sparkle was usually matched with a knowing smirk. Though she’d seen that familiar smirk since their reunification, the sparkle had been replaced with an unexplainable sorrow. Without thought, Meredith reached out and touched a lock of now greying brunette hair. She allowed the strands of hair to slide between her fingertips.

“What are you…” Chessy began to argue weakly

Meredith bristled when she felt the coarse ends of her mane.

“When was the last time you got a hair cut?”

“I don’t…,” Chessy paused a moment to consider, “I guess…when planes were in the sky.”

“Oh honey, no”

“I know.”

“Come on.” Meredith said, taking Chessy’s hand and leading her out the basement.

“Where are we going?”

“The hottest salon in town!”

——————————————-

It was in the kitchen Chessy found herself bent over the sink as Meredith soaked her hair. Dark, wet, tendrils clouded her vision like legs of an octopus. Long fingers scraped against her scalp and they separated strands. Chessy felt electric currents prickle from head to toe.

“Ok, I think that’s good.” A voice stated behind the waterfall.

The water dissipated and was replaced by a towel. Chessy stood and felt the world shift back into place. Meredith led her stumbling client to a chair placed perfectly in the morning light, shining through the window. Slowly, and ever so gently, Meredith brushed out the tangles in her hair. Her eyes closed involuntarily.

“Oh you brush so nice.” Chessy cooed

“You probably say that to all the girls.”

Her eyes snapped open, realizing she voiced her thoughts.

“My mom would brush my hair before school.” She explained sheepishly, “She brushed my hair like it had a vendetta with her.”

Meredith chuckled but didn’t bother to respond. Chessy tipped her head back as she felt the brush lightly scrape against her scalp before gliding through her locks. Her chest and throat felt tight. Her skin prickled at each and every touch. Suddenly, she felt herself transport to those little moments in her life;

Sitting in front of her mother’s vanity as she watched her get ready for a party.

Resting her back against little Hallie’s legs, as she excitedly placed a thousand butterfly clips into her nanny’s hair, while they watched The Little Mermaid for the umpteenth time.

Marty struggling to remove the comb of her vail from her over-sprayed hair, in a fit of giggles, after they stumbled home from their wedding, drunk on love and wine.

“Chess.” Meredith’s voice called softly

Once more, Chessy opened her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked up to a concerned gaze. Suddenly, a wave of embarrassment washed over her followed by a powerful surge of anger. She stood quickly, tossing off the towel that was wrapped around her shoulders.

“Chess its…” Meredith began to say

“I need to check on…the generator..” Chessy said quickly, before storming out.

The former nanny furiously wiped away her tears as she burst back out into the cool morning air. "Allowing Meredith to stay was a mistake," she thought to herself. A stupid mistake she vowed she’d never make again.

Chapter Text

She didn’t come back for hours. She toiled away on the traps and whatever else until dusk. When she returned, she claimed she wasn’t that hungry, and there was makings for a decent peanut butter sandwich in the cupboard before going straight to bed.

Meredith didn’t sleep a wink that night. She tossed and turned as she kept flashing back to the very moment those tearful eyes looked up at her. That small moment before that look of shame. She recognized that look. Her own reflection looked back at her, the same exact way, through a series of dirty and cracked mirrors. But the way she just went flying out of that chair and disappeared. The way she wouldn’t even look at her when she returned,

“I mean honestly! Dramatic much!?!” She muttered to herself.

Screw her! She didn’t need to be there! Her ankle wasn’t exactly healed but its better. She could play to damsel and get another FEDRA officer to bend over backwards for a quick fondle over the shirt. She’d be fine.

She angrily flipped her pillow once more.

But would Chessy be ok? The woman obviously knew how to take care of herself, a simple glance at the operation she had going was proof enough. But Meredith couldn't pretend she didn’t notice the cracks; The way she was always looking over her shoulder, even though they were completely alone. The little gold necklace she’d fiddle with when nervous, the necklace with a small, gold H on it. The same little gold necklace Hallie wore at all times.

She sighed laying her arm over her eyes.

Ok, she lost people. Everyone had! Her own father succumbed to the illness almost immediately, her sister died in a plane crashing down when the affect hit, she couldn’t imagine the fear she felt in her last moments of life. She’d nauseous at the thought of it, even years later. Her mother was still alive in Switzerland from what she knew from the last spotty communication they had before the Internet shut down completely. And Richard; sweet, funny, innocent Richard. Her trusty assistant. He was banging on her apartment door when the first few explosions started popping up around Los Angelas. She didn’t say a word. They grabbed a couple bags of chips and water bottles and ran to the basement storage. They hid in there for two days before emerging to a bleak reality.

They walked for another two days. They spent their time talking smack about which bitchy agent they hoped perished first. They made up a reality show about hot zombies looking for love. He made her laugh when she was ready to cry. She made him put one foot in front of the other when he was ready to collapse. They thought they were saved when they stumbled upon a quarantine zone. They were housed in an abandoned high-school. Men and women were separated. She slept in the gymnasium, he was in the cafeteria. They’d sneak off the the art room during guard shifts to trade stolen snacks and the best gossip. They felt like they were kids again in beautiful and painful ways. He was her tether, He was her one tie to her sense of normalcy. And just like that…he was gone. She awoke the next morning, mere hours after a good gossip in the art room. The men’s section had been completely evacuated after a man succumbed to the infection in the wee hours of the morning.

“They’ll be back in two weeks time.” Is what they were told, but she felt it deep in her gut, Richard was never coming back.

She rolled over and groaned into her pillow but paused when she heard footsteps make their way down the hall. It wasn’t odd to hear Chessy moving about the house at night, but never did she come near her room. Meredith sat up as the feet paused at her doorway. She considered calling out, but her words caught in her throat. The feet shifted before walking away, less purpose in the step.

Screw it. There’s no sleep happening tonight.

————————————————

Chessy found herself propped up in the large bay window of her room. The only light provided by the moonlight and the periodic glow of her cigarette each time she inhaled. Sure, she knew smoking was bad for her, but so is the end of the world. She still blew her smoke out the crack of her window. A habit she couldn’t drop even alone. She did it at the Parkers, only when the stress was bad. It kept her going through potty training Hallie. She probably went through a pack in one night after learning about the twins’s brilliant switch-a-roo. She chuckled to herself at the memory of both her and Annie, curled up in the bathtub at two in the morning, holding the phone between them, discussing how to get their parents to a fancy hotel, on the same date, without suspecting a thing. It was actually not too difficult.

She could still hear Hallie’s little voice on the other end of the phone, on the other side of the world.

“Please, Chessy” she pleaded, “don’t hate me. I just had to know.”

“I could never hate you, sweetheart. Never.”

Another hit of nicotine tickled the back of her throat. She brushed her hair out of her face but slowed the movement as she remembered Meredith’s fingers washing her hair in the sink. Those little electric sparks danced through her veins with the memory of her touch.

Meredith. Cruella. Miss Ill-Just-Have-A-Grapefruit.

The Enigma.

Meredith. So easy to box in at a passing glance. Easy to pass off as another “bleach blonde bimbette” as her cousin Bobbie would call her. She would catch her by surprise even then, popping into the kitchen in only Nicks shirt in the mornings. A teasing smirk gracing her lips. One morning, she noticed the book Chessy had on the table she was reading between chores, a book she couldn’t bare to put down.

“Oooh first time reading?” She asked

“In general?”

“How far are you? Chapter thirteen? The way he described the Woman in White in chapter eleven was just breath taking! I mean the way that man weaves prose.”

She wanted to ignore the blonde, give a snarky remark. But the nanny had found herself weeping as she turned the page to chapter twelve just the night before.

“Could you imagine? Being described like that. Even just being looked at like that.” Chessy said, more to herself.

“Oh please! A refined woman as yourself,” Meredith quipped, “I bet teenage Chessy had all the boys in puddles…or girls maybe.”

Chessy’s head shot up from her the pan of scrambled eggs. Her head whipping around to look at the smiling blonde. She opened her mouth to respond when Nick walked into the kitchen, scratching his head as he yawned.

“What are you girls gabbing about?” Nick asked, before wrapping an arm around Meredith, his palm patting a butt cheek. Chessy rolled her eyes and returned to her task.

“It seems Chessy and I have the same taste in books” Meredith replied, gleefully

“Aww see! I knew you two would find something in common.”

“More than you’d imagine.”

The way she said that line, the way she smiled before immediately slobbering all over Nick irked Chessy. She’d find herself pondering it at the oddest times.

The last of the cigarette inhaled, the tired but wired woman crushed the bud into an old soup can turned ash tray. She let out a sigh.

Screw it. There’s no sleep happening tonight.

—————————————————-

She heard her shuffling down the stairs and into the dimly lit living room. She pretended she didn’t know the other woman was watching her, leaning against the door frame.

“It’s a lot” she said, her voice small.

“What?” Meredith said, glancing up from her book she was pretending to read.

“The touch. Your touch.”

“Oh? Is that so?” She quipped, closing her book and slapping it on the table.

“It’s not bad. I like it. It’s just…a lot.”

“Is that why you’ve been doing your little disappearing act?”

Chessy crossed her arms and looked away, pink tinting her cheeks.

“Yeah, I guess.” She grumbled

The blonde was bemused watching her new found friend act like a sullen teenager caught coming home late. After a moment of silence, her smile faded, as an uncomfortable question bubbled up from her brain that she couldn’t fight off.

“Chess?”

“Yeah?”

“How long have you been here? Alone? Like…completely alone?”

Chessy sucked in a breath. Her eyes flitted about the room as tears began to appear. Anywhere but Meredith. God she looked tired, utterly drained. Slowly, the blonde stood and made her way across the room.

“Uhhh the…whole time…minus…a month or so…” she struggled to say

They stood face to face. Every nerve in Meredith’s body screamed to reach out to comfort the distressed woman before her. But she didn’t want to ruin the delicate bond they’d been building in the past week. A long, heavy pause, settled in the air.

“Marty came here with me to help with Dad when he had a stroke.”

“Right.” Meredith replied, hoarsely.

“And um” Chessy’s voice cracked, “he went pretty fast. We were going to clean up the place and sell it but then everything just…”

“Fell apart.”

“Right and um….I was really overwhelmed and not eating or leaving the place much but Marty was so social and…”

Chessy bit her trembling lip as Meredith stepped closer into her space.

“Did he get the first infect?”

“No, but he was bit the day after. He got trapped at a gas station when it hit. I think he was trying to find postcards to send to Annie.”

They both smiled, sadly.

“So thoughtful like that, ya know? Anyways, he walked all the way home. Nearly twenty miles. He got bit somewhere along the way but he was so worried about me. He had to get home. He just had to! But….he was…he was bit and you know…once bit…it…”

“Its fast…”

“it was so fast and…he walked up the drive way. I was about to run up to hug him but he told me to stay put. Then he looked at me with saddest expression and said he had to see my face one last time before he….”

Chessy’s face crumpled as a year and a half of trauma and grief burst through the cracks. Despite her words for space, the sobbing woman fell into Meredith’s arms. Chessy buried her face into Meredith’s shoulder.

“I loved him, Meredith!” She sobbed, “he was changing so fast…it was terrifying….he was going to use the gun on himself but he was losing his motor control and…he asked me to! I had to! I had to do it! But I fucking loved him!”

“I know. I know you did.” Meredith cooed, stroking Chessy’s hair.

Though Meredith was present when Chessy and Martin first met, she wasn’t exactly paying attention to their blossoming love story. She was busy planning a doomed wedding and then grappling with the reality that her soon-to-be husband had been hiding another daughter as well as holding a flame for his ex. She was preoccupied, to say the least.

But she had spent a summer with, well…around Chessy, prior her engagement. She saw the way she teased Nick like an older sister, she knew every person who worked on the property, as well as their allergies. She cared for that smelly dog, Sparky or whatever, like it was another child. Chessy loved like it was an Olympic sport and she was the gold medalist. She had no doubt, that if Chessy decided to devote her life to another person, she would love them with every fiber of her being and then some.

Meredith didn’t know how long they stood there as Chessy wept. She just held on. She stroked her hair. She felt the wetness expand onto her sweater and seep onto her skin, she felt the other woman cling onto her like she was the only thing keeping her tethered to Earth. Soon her own floodgates opened and she began to weep as well.

They were lost at sea, riding the waves together in their grief. She wept for Richard, she wept for her family, she wept for the life she used to take for granted. She wept for them all. But mostly, if she was being truly honest with herself, she wept for Chessy.

The love olympian.

Chapter Text

“Shit!” Chessy barked, as she marched up from the basement.

“What’s wrong?” Meredith inquired from her seat at the breakfast table.

“Inventory”

The brunette collapsed into her chair before, gratefully, accepting a freshly poured cup of coffee.

“Damn rat got in the potato and the rice” she sighed, “we’re getting low on the good water too. I’m going to have to go into to -“

“I’m coming with!” Meredith interjected, a giant smile spreading across her face.

“What? No. You’re injured.”

“Oh please! Im practically healed and you’ll need help loading the truck!”

Meredith had been cooped up in the beautiful but bleak home for over a month. She loved the freedom to move about, to read when she wanted, to sleep when she wanted, to eat when she wanted (as long as it fit into the rationing). But she lived a fast-paced life long before the virus and a high stress one after. The change of pace was welcomed, at first, but it got stale fast. She was crawling out of her skin. She needed a change of scenery. Something other than finding comfortable spots around the house or property, like a fat house cat.

“I-I need someone to protect the house.”

“What? Like your eight million booby traps, trip wires, and automated security system won’t do the job? You didn’t leave the house ever when you were alone?”

They held their glare for nearly a minute.

“Pack a bag,” Chessy sighed in defeat, “we might be out for a couple days.”

Meredith released an excited squeal and clapped before bounding out her chair and up the stairs.

Later on the road…

Even in ruins, Maryland was beautiful. The two sat in comfortable silence as the large Ford truck zipped down the long, empty road. Trees, lush and bountiful blurred into a watercolor of green. No longer tended to, the greenery on the sides of the road, crept onto the asphalt. It was oddly poetic, nature reclaiming her rightful place. God. Meredith two years ago would’ve scoffed at what a contemplative hippie she had become. She glanced over to Chessy. She looked just as content. She sported her signature oval shaped sunglasses, her thick hair (still in need of a cut) loosely held back with a scrunchie, a strand of her bangs danced in the air provided by the open window. The laugh lines on her face deepened as the ever present smirk on her lips made itself known. Sensing her travel companions stare, Chessy glanced over. Meredith expected a quick “take a picture, it’ll last longer”. But all she received was a smile and her radiance practically out shown the morning sun. Meredith felt heat illuminating her face. She was blushing.

“Ok, I have to investigate!” Meredith stated, “what’s the music situation?”

“CD case is somewhere in the back seat.”

Happy to have an excuse to hide her face, the blonde quickly unbuckled herself to rummage behind her. She groaned as she shifted through loose grocery bags and forgotten clothing.

“Next item on the project list! Clean out Chessy’s dumpster on wheels.”

“Its not a dumpster! There’s a system.”

“Hoarding is not a system.”

Meredith was ready to give up due to the pain in her spleen, from the car seat digging into her side, when the familiar sight of metallic discs came into view, after tossing a winter coat to the side. She returned to her seat with a loud groan.

“Well, that was a horrifying adventure.”

“So brave.” Chessy replied blandly

“How did you keep Nick’s place so pristine and have a car like this?”

“You didn’t see my bedroom.”

“You’re like a teenager”

Chessy let out a laugh. A genuine one.
——————————————-

It was different driving with someone in the passenger seat. It was different existing with someone in the passenger seat. It was different having someone tease her for her habits and take note of her quirks. Her year or so of solitude felt more like ten in comparison. She’d never really been alone. Sure, she had to fend for herself for a long time but never completely alone. She had her dad at first, then roommates, then boyfriends, some girlfriends, then The Parkers. She was always around someone.

She felt eyes watching her.

She glanced over to Meredith. How can a woman make her feel so at home, yet so at unease? She didn’t like how she could just see through her. She felt naked and exposed. Marty was like that, but less brazen. Ever the dapper Englishman, he never insisted she have to expose every thought to him and bare her soul. He appreciated her “stiff upper lip” for an American, at least. But Meredith would just leave at out in the open. What made her sad. What made her happy. What pissed her off. And she expected Chessy to reciprocate. She asked questions that made her examine herself. Why did she hide in her house? What made her wake up in the middle of the night? Why did she wear Hallie’s necklace but never talk about her? No more stiff upper lip.

Meredith grumbled about the measly selection between old country rock and smattering of top forty mixes. She finally settled on a “Beatles #1 Hits”. A classic.

John Lennon’s voice filled the silence letting them know “Here Comes The Sun”

The twang of the guitar and the rush of the wind carried them away from the stress of daily life, just for a moment.

Little darlin’, it’s been a long, cold and lonely winter….

Meredith propped her feet up on the dashboard. Usually, Chessy would find that irksome, but it felt right for the moment.

Little darlin’, it feels like it’s been years since it’s been here.

Chessy tapped her finger to the beat of the drum.

Here comes the sun…

Meredith began to sing along. Off-key and quietly.

Here comes the sun, and I say, its alriiiiight…

Meredith sang a little louder and even more off-key.

Little darlin’, the smiles are returning to their faces.

Chessy shimmied her shoulders and joined in, equally off-key.

Little darlin’, it seems like years since it’s been here.

They shared another smile as giggles bubbled up from the throats like bubbles in a champagne bottle.

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo

They made their voiced high pitched as they sang the ‘doo’s.

Here comes the sun, and I say, its alr —.

“Look out!” Meredith shrieked

Chessy yelped and managed to swerve the car from the lanky form standing in the middle of the road. Both winced hearing the shriek of a person, as the corner of the hood, clipped the body. Their bodies jolted to the sound of a loud bang before the truck screeched to a halt, as a plume of dust coated their vision. By the grace of god, they managed to slam into the guard rail and not go flying into the side of the mountain. They froze for a second, after Chessy yanked the shift into Park.

“You ok?” Chessy asked, breathlessly

Meredith nodded.

Chessy toppled out the truck to assess the damage.

“Stay in the….ah never mind.” She groaned, as her companion followed suit.

A low groan in the distance pulled their attention to the heap of flesh on the road just fifteen feet away. Chessy quickly retrieved the revolver from the bed before, slowly, making her way to the groaning mass. As the person came into view, it was clear this guy was over six feet tall. A perfect choice for the NBA. Long arms and even longer legs. Shockingly, nothing looked dislocated.

“Hey! You awake, hon?” Chessy asked, cautiously

The body twitched, another groan.

“Chess I don’t think you should get so close.”

“WE hit HIM! We should help!”

“I know but…”

The body let out another groan. Slowly, he rolled onto his back. A Metallica t-shirt and ripped skinny jeans. She hadn’t seen his face but he looked young. She understood young. If he wasn’t in his teens, he probably had been very recently. Her nanny instincts kicked in when he began to sit up.

“No, hun! Take it slow! You might be in-“

“Chess.” Meredith called in a warning tone.

His face came into view. She was right. He was young. Boyish features, blonde peach fuzz, and even a rosy cheek. He looked like he could’ve been Hallie’s first love. He looked so angelic. Well, half of his face did. The other half had been taken over with the virus. Large, pinkish ridges, wrapped around the top of his head, his ear and eye obscured. Dark veins made roadmaps about his once alabaster skin, now greying. Then she heard him. His breath was ragged, wheezing. His chest rose and fell in sticcato motions. He looked at her, squinted slightly, and for a moment she swore she could see him. The person. The boy. Trapped inside a decaying corpse.

“Chessy!” Meredith cried

It all happened so fast. He opened his mouth as an inhuman scream rang out. Those sickening fungi tendrils tumbled from his mouth, reaching out to her like a child reaches for its mother. He lunged, she lifted her gun and fired. Another screech from the creature, the boy, emitted as he flew back from the bullet. She fired three more shots. Two to the heart, one to the head. Just as her father taught her.

Silence fell upon them. Chessy remained frozen before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re ok,” Meredith soothed, “you’re ok.”

“Just a….kid.”

“I know.”

“Just a kid.”

“I know, It’s smart if we keep moving.”

Reality came back into motion. They were alone, on an empty road, miles from a convieneice store that’s most likely already abandoned. If they encountered one of the Infected, there’s more nearby. Chessy took in a deep breath and nodded.

“The truck.”

“It doesn’t look great.”

Once more, Meredith was right. Upon further inspection, the hood was smashed in pretty good. Enough to obscure the driver’s view. It was hard to tell exactly what state the engine was in, but the smoke starting to billow out wasn’t giving them much hope. They were on foot. No way around it. Chessy packed up emergency water and rations in an old backpack Hallie wore to school. Slinging it on, she turned to Meredith who was tying her hair up in a ponytail. They stood for a moment, just looking at one another.

“Happy you tagged along?” Chessy asked, sarcastically

“Yes.” Meredith replied, honestly.

Chessy was taken aback by the answer. She examined the woman’s features for any tells of a fib. She wasn’t. They blushed.

“Head North” Chessy said, clearing her throat.

“Heading North.” Meredith replied, turning on he heel.

Chessy began to hum and Meredith fought a small smile.

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes….

Chapter Text

“Blush and bashful” Chessy stated, softly.

“What?” Meredith asked

The two had been walking in silence for well over an hour. Partly, to listen for Infected. Partly, because neither really knew what to say.

“Your wedding colors. Blush and Bashful. Was that because of Steel Magnolias?”

“You remember my wedding colors?”

“Yeah, I think I’d remember the millions of sample fabrics I had to pick up from the living room floor that summer.”

“Oh right” Meredith laughed awkwardly

The weeks she had spent with Chessy, post-infection, had been humbling to say the least. Meredith Blake always knew who she was, faults and all. She knew she could be brash and hard-headed.

Ok, she knew she was a bitch.

“I’m a bitch!” She’d state proudly to Richard, “But I’m a fabulous bitch!” Richard would throw back his head and laugh and laugh and laugh. Then they would cheers with their fifth Champagne and that would be just the beginning of the night. But she wasn’t all that fabulous to Chessy. She was “the help”. She was furniture. And Meredith treated her that way, because she saw her that way. Well, that’s not entirely true. Once in a while, when she’d come up for air from her frequent make out sessions with Nick, she’d take note of the other woman in the household.

She noticed Chessy’s thrillers laying about. She’d take note of the author and just so happen, for no reason whatsoever, find herself purchasing a few of their works at the little bookstore in town. She couldn’t lie. Chessy had incredible taste in books. It was some of the most captivating stories she had read in years. She also enjoyed the music she would play from the boom box in her bedroom. Nick could tell what kind of mood his most prized employee was in and comment on it when they’d hear the muffled tunes down the hallway.

If it was Motown or “Hits of the 60’s”, Nick would smile and say “I think her date went well.”

If it was Nirvana, Nick would look legitimately nervous and quickly suggest a day out horseback riding. Meredith didn’t have to guess, even then, that an angry Chessy is not someone you want to cross.

If it was talk radio, Nick would know something was on her mind.

Come to think of it, Chessy had just started playing music in the house in the past week or so. Mainly golden oldies. Guess she was enjoying their breakfast dates. The thought made a wry smile tug at the blonde woman’s lips.

“So are you a big Julia Roberts fan?” Chessy asked, bringing Meredith out of her memories.

“Not really, but her character was all me. Loves a show and attention. Big style. Big party.”

“Big attitude.”

“Yeah and what of it?”

They held a glare before smiling.

“I get that. You just want to feel special.”

“What about you, Mrs. Butler.” Meredith teased, poking Chessy’s side who quickly slapped her away, “were you a Bridezilla?”

“Marty’s last name wasn’t his occupation. And, no. Didn’t have to be. My Aunt and cousins covered that.”

“Let me guess, tradition was the theme.”

Chessy laughed and nodded.

“Poor Marty. So English. So dignified. So not prepared for two hundred Sicilians drinking and dancing around him for three nights straight.”

“But did you have fun?”

“We had a blast.”

“Its getting dark soon.”

———————————————

Hours passed, they were exhausted, their bodies ached, and the looming nightfall didn’t help their fraying nerves. But like a mirage at the end of a desert, a tattered “Phillips 66” sign illuminated in the distance.

“There she is!” Chessy cheered

“Oh thank god!”

———————————

The store was raided clean and quickly forgotten. They didn’t care. They had shelter and, for the first time, in over twelve hours, a place to sit down. They plopped on the floor, behind the cashier counter, hidden from view. Meredith opened her pack.

“So Miss Its-My-Turn-To-Pack” Chessy said with a sideways glance, “What wonderful confections have you gathered for our meal this fine evening?”

“Madam, we have a delicious assortment for all your gastronomical needs!” Meredith announced, before holding up the goods one by one.

“We have! Stale ass granola bar!”

“A must.”

“Indeed, we have…another stale ass granola bar!”

“Excellent.”

“We have…questionable gummy snack as you so fervently demanded. Also, are you twelve?”

Chessy happily snatched the pack of neon colored gummies out of the blonde’s hand.

“I’m twelve and a half. Thank you very much!”

“We have…a stale ass protein bar!”

“Ohhhh how masculine.”

“And last but not least! Drum roll please!”

Chessy drummed her palms against the linoleum floor.

“Cheese sandwiches!”

Meredith proudly held the sandwiches above her head.

“Oh…they look….warm.”

“In my defense, I didn’t know we’d be walking for endless hours when I made them.”

Chessy took her sandwich and examined it, carefully.

“Oh stop being dramatic! They’re perfectly fine! And don’t act like you’re not starving.” Meredith scolded.

Chessy sighed. She was right. They didn’t know when their next meal would be, they needed their calories, and it would be smart to save the non-perishables for dire times….well….more dire times.

They ate as they took in their surroundings. The theme of the abandoned drug store brought up memories of childhood road trips gone wrong, that they shared with one another. Their laughter and full stomaches eased their nerves. Sleep was nagging at their limbs and making their eyelids heavy. They huddled close as the chill of the night settled in. Chessy rested her head on Meredith’s shoulder.

“One of us should keep watch” Chessy murmured

“Right” Meredith replied

She fought to keep her eyes open, she really did. But the warmth of her companions body pressed to her, the toll of the day sitting on her bones, the gentle lull of Chessy’s quiet snores eased Meredith into slumber.

———————————

Thump. Thump Thump.

A distant drum.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

A slow, even, droll.

The soundtrack of Chessy’s consciousness.

She didn’t want to wake. She wanted to stay floating in the blissful in-between of sleep and reality. She was so warm and she wanted to listen to the soothing sound of…

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Her eyes opened and her vision came to…a forrest? Thick tree trunks…the trees dance before…

No. It was simply her hair. Her hair being brushed out of the way. Her eyes fluttered closed. The delicate tickle of fingertips brushing along her brow line, to her temple, and finally behind the ear where her hair was tucked away. Her eyes opened once more before she looked up to a pair of blue eyes looking down at her. Her mind cleared as she raised her head, just an inch. Meredith had clearly just woken herself. Her half-lidded gaze. A small, content smile. They should be embarrassed, waking up in one another’s arms. She should be scrambling away. Or…perhaps…she could lean in. Just a hair.

Meredith didn’t say a word. Her finger continued its journey from the back of Chessy’s ear to the curve of her jaw.

She could lean in. Just an inch.

The finger glided, so feather light, to the mid-point of the jaw line, before pausing.

Meredith’s lips parted and so did hers.

The finger curled into knuckles, so feather light.

The familiar electric currents buzzed through Chessy’s body and straight to her core.

The knuckles grazed down the expanse of her throat.

She felt herself falling, in slow motion, closing the space.

Bang!

The two jumped.

A rustle. A scrape. The sound of slow, uncoordinated footsteps. Someone, or something, was inside. They remained perfectly still, listening.

Another scrape. A huff.

Slowly, achingly slow, Chessy eased back onto her haunches and reached for her pistol nestled in the side pocket of her satchel. Meredith sat up, slowly. The footsteps grew near. They looked around, no nearest exit, the backroom was locked or barricaded. They checked the night before. They were cornered. Their eyes met.

Chessy held up three fingers. Meredith took in a breath and nodded. Chessy counted down.

Three.

Two.

One.

Chessy shot up and fired a warning shot into the ceiling. Two Infects screeched and scrambled before immediately turning onto Chessy. The first one, a male, charged forward, only to be shot point blank in the head, he perished immediately, The second, a woman, zig-zagged into the isles, peering over the shelves. Meredith stood.

“Come on. Go just go!” Chessy pleaded under her breath, “I don’t want to shoot you.”

The woman continued to zig zag, moving about, watching them closely.

“We could make break for it.” Meredith whispered, as if that thing knew what they were saying.

Chessy nodded.

The woman continued to zig zag farther away into the store. They took note of the growing distance.

“Go!” Meredith rasped.

The two jumped over the counter and shot for the door way. Chessy managed to get a hand on the door handle before the creature bolted to them in three long strides. They were fast, but the creature was faster. The Infect, released a shriek as it tackled Chessy, knocking the gun from her grasp. Quick on her feet, Meredith snatched an empty postcard display stand, and slammed it into the creature’s body. It stumbled back. Once more, Chessy grabbed the door handle and cracked the door open before the Infect pounced on her. The two tussled before the Infect slammed Chessy into the counter.

“Gun! Get the fucking gun!” Chessy screamed

Meredith scrambled after tripping over the leg of the fallen man, looking around the floor for the pistol glinting in the sunlight. She was a mere inch away, when the Infect kicked the weapon to the side, as it continued to claw and growl.

The counter dug into Chess’y back as her assailant loomed over her. Chessy could feel the tendons in her assailant’s throat as she pressed the woman’s chin upwards. The Infect clawed at her blindly, releasing another angry shriek.

Meredith snatched up the weapon and aimed, her hands shaking. She’d never fired a gun before.

“Shoot!” Chessy cried out, through gritted teeth.

Meredith fired but only grazed the Infects shoulder. She nearly dropped the gun from the kick back. The Infect writhed but remained steadfast. Once more, fungi tendrils rose from the mouth of another living corpse. The lactic acid began to build in Chessy’s arm. Her muscles twitched and trembled from the effort. Her foot kicked out against the slick tile.

“Fucking shoot it!” Chessy screamed

Meredith aimed for the head, calming her breathing. She was well within range, she pulled the trigger….

Click.

She pulled again.

Click.

“Jammed!?” Meredith groaned

Meredith pounced onto the Infect’s back. She got a good smack or two with the pistol against the head, before the weapon slipped from her sweaty grip. She clawed and punched until the Infect rose to her full height, tossing her off like a rag doll, before turning her attention from Chessy.

“Yeah, Freak!” Meredith thought, “look at me! Not at her!”

The tendrils continued to spill out of the mouth and reached for her. They danced mere centimeters from her face, instinctively, she leaned back. Her feet scrambling against the tile. It all was in slow motion, she watched the beginning of her end, The infect lunged towards her, she could hear Chessy cry out “No!” And suddenly, an explosion of brains and blood.

Both woman screamed and covered their faces as pieces of their assailant splattered about the store. A moment passed, before the two took a chance to look up. Chessy froze where she stood until she could see Meredith sit up from her place on the ground.

“Oh thank god!” Chessy cried, before both launched into one another’s arms.

“Thank god, indeed.”

Stated an unfamiliar voice. A male voice.

The two glanced over to see a fellow non-infected man, flanked by two equally non-infected women, standing in the door way. A smoking revolver still poised in his hand.

“Where is your patriarch?” He asked

Chapter Text

Shakily, they stood fully. Holding onto one another.

“You saved us,” Chessy stated, “thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, but you haven’t answered my question.”

As the haze of panic dissipated, Meredith took a closer look at their saviors. At first glance, they appeared unassuming. Dirty clothes. Few belongings. Fellow lost souls. But at closer examination, their true nature became evident. The priests collar he wore, the modest peasant-like blouses the women sported to match their downcast gaze. They weren’t plump by any means but had a much healthier glow than most roaming the dessert. Most of these radicals did. They roamed in groups before settling on a homestead, feasting on their shared wealth and, eventually, each other. Meredith was lucky enough to avoid these factions but heard well enough to know they never meant well.

“Where is your patriarch?” He asked once more

Usually, quick on their feet, both women found themselves speechless. Unable to form up a quick lie, a funny fable, anything.

“No…you are unclaimed.” The Reverend said softly, eerily cool, “unprotected.”

His grip tightened onto the still smoking gun. Meredith grabbed Chessy’s arm to push her out of the way when, suddenly, the brunette released a loud wretch before vomiting the contents of last night’s cheese sandwich onto the ground. The group froze, staring at them, and the bile at their feet.

“Oh!” Meredith exclaimed, “I told you all this walking in the heat isn’t good for the baby!”

“Wha-?”

Chessy’s question was literally wiped away from her lips as Meredith roughly wiped the bile from her mouth with a hem of her sweater.

“Father Martin will be so cross with us if we injure this….blessing!” Meredith exclaimed, pulling Chessy close.

“I feel faint.” Chessy said, delicately

“What are you doing just standing around?! Get her some water!”

The older woman released an excited squeal before quickly scurrying off to find a flask of water. The younger woman found a folding chair and, gingerly, guided Chessy to sit. The Reverend watched the both of them closely. His piercing gaze making them both want to squirm.

“Sip slowly, dear” the older woman with the water stated

“Tha-thank you” Chessy stammered,

It had been so long since someone had been so kind to her. It was somewhat unnerving. The past year and a half, she barely spoke. Most conversations were with people passing through her property, the encounter would last a whole of five minutes and usually they were not kind. It took the first two weeks of Meredith’s stay to remember how to converse past one word responses and the occasional head nod. The three parishioners and Meredith looked down at her. The attention was uncomfortable to say the least.

“When did you last lay with your Patriarch?” The Reverend asked, his piercing gaze boring into her.

Chessy had to press her nails into the palm of her hand to fight the urge to deck him.

“That’s a bit forward.” Meredith scoffed

“I am SPEAKING,” The Reverend barked before returning his gaze to Chessy, “to the expectant mother.”

Chessy stole a moment when sipping on the lukewarm water from an old flask. The taste of bile and metal danced on her tastebuds. She swallowed.

“When and how my Patriarch lays, is only between himself and the Lord.” Chessy said sternly but with a sickeningly sweet tone and her eyes downcast

Meredith raised her eyebrows, impressed with how quickly her usually brazen friend took on the role of a demure, godly bride.

A silence settled over the group. For Meredith, it felt like an eternity, but was probably just a minute.

The Reverend crouched down before Chessy, the coppery smell of the Infect's blood wafted from his splattered clothing. He looked up at her with softened features.

“You’re right,” his tone also sickeningly sweet, “forgive me sister, it wasn’t my intention to pry. I simply wanted to know…when will this…” he gestured to her midsection, “…gift be joining us?”

Chessy felt her cheeks turn warm. She hated the smell of his breath. The sudden closeness.

“Spring” she said softly, nearly a whisper.

“In Spring?”

She refused to glance up at him.

“March.”

He looked at her for a long moment before placing his hand on her knee. She flinched.

“How exciting. Your…Martin was it?”

She nodded.

“He must be excited…”

She hesitated but nodded.

He wasn’t convinced and she knew it. Slowly, his thumb lightly grazed against her knee. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Tears were building up in her eyes. If she hadn’t just vomited, bile would have been making its way up her throat. He continued his stare. Her eyes remained on his thumb. Back and forth.

“Is this your first?”

He leaned in, just centimeter. He was breathing her in.

She shook her head.

Back and forth.

“I guessed that,” he stated proudly, “I know a mother’s eyes when I see them.”

She finally met his gaze. He smiled, sadly. She didn’t smile back.

Back and forth.

“How many?”

“Many what?”

“Children.”

She distracted herself once more with the small pain of her nails in her palm. She could’ve lied. But she didn't.

“Just one. A girl.”

Hallie’s smiling freckled face flashed before her and she smiled back.

“And where is your little girl now?”

Hallie faded away and so did her smile. The ache of his touch on her knee expanded into the rest of her body and bloomed in her chest. Her chest tightened. The tears fell.

“Buried. In a vineyard.” She choked out “Next to her father.”

Meredith sucked in a sharp breath. Chessy crumpled.

Meredith guessed that Hallie and Nicky had gone, she couldn’t imagine any other reason Chessy would leave. But it was different assuming what happened from it being stated in a cold fact-of-the-matter kind of way. She really did care for Nicky, maybe not love, maybe not yet. But she didn’t lie when she said he was everything she dreamed of in a man. Was she marrying for money? Sure. But she imagined it like an arranged marriage, where love was expected to be the end goal, not the starting line. No one would believe her. Not even herself, but she really did care, and because they were a part of him, she cared for the twins too. She fought the tears prickling the back of her eyes.

It didn’t help the low, guttural sob the came out of the nanny as the truth crushed her to towards the floor. Like she held the truth just above her head and saying it brought the full weight of it down for the first time.

The Reverend placed a hand a top Chessy’s head.

“God has sent me to you.” The Reverend said softly, before turning to the three tearful onlookers “Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry”

“Amen” The older woman stated

Finally, The Reverend addressed Meredith.

“Are you with child as well?”

She shook her head.

“But you are injured” he clucked, almost mockingly

She said nothing. She couldn’t help but notice he still had not removed his hand from Chessy’s knee.

Back and forth.

Meredith had met a thousand men like this. Usually, she’d be the object of affection. But holding a conversation would be draining. She’d come to a meeting ready to make their business a success. She’d be armed to the gills with data and mock ups. She’d be halfway through a presentation she spent days honing, and honestly excited about, to only realize that it didn’t matter what she said. She’d see them, leaned back in the plush board room chairs, a small smile gracing their lips. They’d be undressing her with their eyes. And she could easily predict the next few hours.

She’d finish the presentation.

They’d agree to whatever to end the meeting quickly.

They’d stumble over themselves to invite her to drinks or dinner to, ya know, iron out the details,

They’d go out.

He would touch her knee, the small of her back, tap his foot against hers, lean in a little too close.

If he wasn’t horrendous she’d humor him, flirt a little, heck, make out in the cab. But she’d dangle him until he signed all the checks and cleared all the paperwork. Then she’d disappear from his contacts just long enough for him to find a new skirt to chase. She’d tell herself if was a fun little game but she could feel her nerves prick up whenever she was alone with them. She’d see the switch from gentlemen to brute in a matter of seconds when she politely declined a nightcap at his place for the third time. It wasn’t alchohal they craved. It was power.

Power made monsters. Power followed you home. Power holds you down. Power laughs when you scream.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Power had found its newest target, a vulnerable, presumedly newly pregnant and abandoned woman in dirty blue jeans. Power marked her as his own.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

The reality of the situation dawned on her and nearly brought her to the floor as well. They were alone, in a desert. No food. Little water. Their one form of transportation was lying in a ditch. Their safe little haven miles away. Worst of all, for time being, the man leering over her weeping friend, was going to be the only guarantee of keeping them alive.

“What are your names?” The younger woman asked

Antithesis. She had to be her antithesis.

“My name is Elizabeth and this…” she gestured to Chessy, “…this is Annie.”

Chapter Text

“You’ll catch a cold like this” The Reverend murmured

Chessy didn’t bother to turn around.

They were on the back porch, her place of refuge for the last two weeks she had lived at The Reverend’s compound. Every night, she’d step out the stifling cabin, overlooking the rolling hills of the Maryland countryside. It reminded her of the vineyard. When Hallie was an infant, she had colic, falling asleep was near impossible. So Chessy would walk through the rows of grape trees, a sniffling redhead curled up against her chest. They’d walk for what felt like hours, and as the cool night air eased Hallie into a slumber, it also eased the nerves of an exhausted nanny.

Instinctively, she breathed in deep to smell the California air but nearly gagged at the smell of stale tobacco and leather. She didn’t move as he wrapped himself around her, as he had done many times before. She waited for him to get his fill of neck nuzzles and pressing his growing arousal against her backside. The great thing about faking an early pregnancy is the ability to openly gag at the actions of disgusting men.

She waited. He nuzzled. She waited. He splayed his hands against her midsection. She waited.

“Just another minute more.” She thought to herself

A minute passed and he didn’t move. In fact, he pulled her in closer before turning her to face him. He smiled. His grin looking abnormally wide and illuminated in the moonlight.

Veneers? Seriously?

“My sweet Annie. God has spoken to me.” He stated softly

Sweet Annie.

That’s what he called her.

Sometimes, like a loving nickname. Like he’d known her for years and it was an inside joke between the two.

Sometimes, bemused. Like he caught a precocious child with their hand in the cookie jar.

Sometimes, harshly, like a bark. He’d nearly spit the ’T’ like a dart, shooting across the room.

Sometimes….

Quietly.

Achingly.

Sickeningly.

He’d say it like a lover.

“Sweet Annie”, whispered in her ear, barely a breath.

He’d say it only in the dark of night. Only when the house was quiet and the moonlight casted shadows on the walls. He’d only say it behind her. Never to her face. He’d come up behind her in the hall way, the kitchen, the backyard. He’d find her in another insomnia-induced meander and hold her from behind.

The first couple times she jumped and even wrestled him, but he was so strong and something in his demeanor made her freeze. Something in the way he so carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, splaying one large hand across her stomach, and nuzzle her hair. He was a boa constrictor slowly crushing his prey before he devoured her completely.

“Are you happy here?” He asked, almost earnestly.

“Am I happy?”

Happiness felt more of a concept than an actual feeling. She had her little moments of joy in the last few years, sure. But was she happy? Full-blown, true blue, just-how-mama-used-to-make-it happy? Thats tough to answer. Once again, as they had every night since her third night at the compound, the tears came. She looked down quickly, hiding her shame. He lifted her chin and wiped away a tear with his thumb. A little too rough.

Marty was never too rough. Ever a gentleman, he handled her like porcelain, unless she requested otherwise. Then he’d handle her like a conquest. In the best way. He wasn’t satisfied until she was whimpering with exhaustion, oversensitive and teetering on slumber. He’d smile. Smug as ever, but he’d clean her up and kiss her forehead.

“As I suspected,” The Reverend replied

She furrowed her brow. Suspected what? That a woman who had lost her husband, her home, the child she raised, would be a little gloomy? What a scholar.

“You must be lonely.”

She shrugged.

“I like lonely.” She replied.

She wasn’t totally lying. She liked her thoughts uninterrupted. She liked the full control of her daily routine. She liked the slower pace of day-to-day life.

“You don’t have to be lonely anymore. Not here.”

“I have Elizabeth.”

“But does Elizabeth really count?”

Chessy jerked back as if she had been slapped across the face.

“Elizabeth always counts.” She replied sharply

The Reverend’s eyebrows raised at the sudden sharpness of her tone.

“It appears you and The Lord are keeping separate scores.”

“Everyone counts in God’s eyes.”

“God sees all, Sweet Annie.”

Chessy furrowed her brow, trying to piece together what the Reverend was hinting at.

“And he most certainly sees you.” He continued, “Im sure you’ve noticed I have been somewhat absent this week.”

She hadn’t.

“I’ve been in deep prayer. God has been trying to tell me something for some time now. The path has been unclear to me…until I met you. Until he brought me you…”

———————————————————————-

“The bean dish you prepared us was delicious, Sister Elizabeth.” Lydia said, in her usual chipper tone, as she handed Meredith another dish to dry.

“The hummus?” Meredith replied, less chipper.

“Yes. It was very good. So different.”

Why these women acted like hummus was some crazy new invention was beyond her. Hummus was a pretty common spread, even in the States, long before everything fell apart. Though, to be fair, she didn’t exactly make hummus as most would imagine. It was more of a chickpea-nightmare-mush but it was edible and didn’t involve the oven, so it was a win for her.

“Yes.” Mary quipped from the other side of the kitchen, “you have been introducing us to some very….exotic things.”

Meredith didn’t have to look up to know she was being watched closely by the Matriarch or “first wife” of the home. Mary’s watchful eye had become part of the routine. Part of their new life.

Life in the settlement wasn’t too far off from life on Chessy’s property. Only on “The Compound” there’s more space and animals. They still got up with the sun. The unmarried men, who lived in what used to be a guest house, walked the perimeter and check traps. As the unmarried women, living in the main house, made a strong cup of coffee and breakfast. Married couples lived in campers in the back of the property. The only additional chores were the occasional afternoon of feeding the horses, which surprised Meredith how much she enjoyed it. And morning worship, which was, unsurprisingly, less enjoyable. She also didn’t enjoy how Chessy kept being called away from her. It was clear the group, and especially The Reverend, saw Chessy as the more “godly” woman.

Maybe that’s why Mary had become Meredith’s shadow.

Always watching.

Being observed wasn’t new. She flashed back to the month she was watched by two devious twins. But the difference was, there was almost an innocent curiosity, even if she wasn’t their favorite. But Mary was something totally different. Her gaze was cold and calculating.

“I prefer Sister Annie” Mary stated, blatantly one night, “she has a sweeter spirit. You should look to her as an example.”

They weren’t totally wrong. “Sister Annie” cooked, cleaned, was less abrasive. Compared to Meredith’s need to loudly point out infractions and clear disdain for being told what to do, Chessy looked down right saintly.

“Not Saintly.” Meredith thought, “Defeated.”

Chessy had been stand offish when they first reunited, but there was still a sense of mirth or humor to her. She wasn’t bounding down the steps to make another pot of chili like the old days, but she was still defiant. But since their arrival to the compound, Chessy had disappeared into herself. She grew quiet. Ever the glowing light that lit up her eyes was gone. She just looked forward, past anyone she was speaking to. She was looking into the past. She was looking straight into the barrel of her grief. And Meredith feared what would happen if the trigger was pulled.

Speaking of….

“Where’s Annie?” Meredith asked

———————————————————

“I do- I don’t understand” Chessy stammered

“God has cleansed our world. And all this time, I assumed I would pay my penance here, and follow his guidance, before he would finally gather his children to heaven. In heaven, I assumed we would begin anew. I was wrong.”

The Reverend held Chessy’s face in his hands.

“The beginning is here. The beginning is you.”

Before she could register what he was saying, she felt his lips press against hers. She recoiled both out of shock and a primal sense of revulsion. The sound of her palm colliding against his cheek echoed into the night air. The Reverend turned his cheek but remained stead fast.

“Im married!” She cried out

His slap, like hers, was in an instant. The force of the blow sent her staggering back and tumbling onto the unforgiving wood of the porch, clutching her cheek.

“Yes. And he’s dead.”

“This is wrong” she whimpered

“You may not understand now, but you will in time.”

His voice was eerily calm. Stern but not a hint of anger. His tone was teetering on bored. Apparently, slapping about a supposedly pregnant woman, he was set on marrying, wasn’t all that new and exciting for him.

Without a word, he turned on his heel and left here out in the cold.

Chapter Text

Later that night……

Meredith nearly jumped out of her skin when she awoke to see a figure standing at the end of the bed. She quickly turned on the light to find Chessy, weeping. The former nanny was still in her day clothes. She looked like a child who had woken from a nightmare and needed her mother to make it all better. She looked so small.

Without a word, Meredith lifted her covers and Chessy crawled in.

”You’re freezing,” The blonde chided

She pulled the large quilt tightly over them as her friend nestled into her arms.

She turned out the light, it hurt her eyes and made the truth feel all too real. They held each other in silence, listening to the trees sway in the wind. A dog barked in the distance. Time passed by in increments of sorrow. It displayed itself in the uneven breaths of Chessy’s lessening sobs. It shifted in the tightening and un-tightening in Meredith’s chest. It moved in the warmth slowly returning to their limbs.

“Where have you been?” Meredith asked, eyes closed, her lips pressing the words into the woman’s hair.

Chessy sniffed. Stealing another small increment of sorrow.

“I wanna go home. Our home.”

That’s her girl.

For the first time in almost a month, Meredith felt herself smile. A small but real smile. It wasn’t the answer she expected but the answer she needed.

“We will.” She vowed

“I haven’t seen her in my dreams for a while.”

“Who?”

“Hal”

Meredith wasn’t sure how to respond. It was the first time she heard the girl’s name be mentioned since their reunification. She could hear the weight in the name.

“Does she visit often?”

“Once in a while. just a moment.” Chessy sighed before releasing a small chuckle, “the havoc she’d already let loose on this place.”

“She’d have someone in the horse trough by now.”

They both chuckled.

“Someone’s bible filled with jam.”

“Someone superglued to a chair.”

They giggled at the images in their heads before another wave of sadness washed over.

“How long have we been here?”

“Can’t say exactly but…I think this is our twelfth night here. They blend together after a while.”

“Yeah…I…”

“What?”

“I finished about a week before we left…”

Meredith opened her eyes. She remembered the impressive homemade sanitation pads and an afternoon spent learning how to make them. Neither moved, but a tension could be felt, much like their sleep under the cashier desk in the drugstore. Then already felt like another lifetime.

“You’re sure? We’ve been through a lot lately. Maybe yo -“

“Mer.” She said with more strength in her voice, “I know my body. It’s like clockwork. We got three or four days.”

A few days. Mere hours counting down left with their one lie. Their one advantage.

Well. Shit.

———————————————————————

Hallie used to appear in her dreams almost nightly. She’d never speak. She’d just smile or glance back at her before walking away. Chessy would call for her, chase her, do anything to steal a moment but she could never catch up. She was always just out of reach. She did grab her hand once. A quick squeeze. It was the night before Marty passed away. Nick was there. Just that once. Hands in his pockets. It didn’t feel like a warning, just a comforting ‘hello’.

It took her sometime to understand the message; They couldn’t be there all the time but they were around.

She didn’t appear in this nights dream. This one starred another familiar face.

She found herself on a boat. A private yacht. The one the girls rented in hopes to woo their hapless parents into falling back in love. It didn’t work for them right away but it certainly sparked something between the bumbling staff. She was on the starboard. The evening air was warm as it brushed against her face. The salt of the ocean dance on her tongue. She was in her servers uniform but her hair was down and her jacket unbuttoned. She found Marty lounging on one of the deck chairs. A bottle of champagne chilled in a bucket beside him. He turned to her. His big goofy smile painting his face as he took her in. He stood as she approached. He took her hands in his.

“What are we celebrating?” She asked

He lifted her left hand where she sported a dazzling engagement ring. Not the one he gave her. It was opulent and clearly something neither of them could afford.

“Oh Marty! That’s too nice!”

He furrowed his brows and shook his head. Her smile faded. He cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead.

“Marty, please.”

He released her grasp and reached behind her. Slowly, he brought a bridal veil over her face. He kissed her hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

“Wait.” She pleaded

His kiss felt less romantic and more friendly, almost bittersweet. He wasn’t there as her groom. He was there to give her away.

Chapter Text

Meredith woke as the sun was just peeking over the horizon. Her time in constant motion between quarantine zones made her an early riser, unlike the it-isn’t-morning-until-noon kind of person she was before. A warm, comforting weight teased her into falling back into slumber. Chessy’s arm and leg were slung over her. The blonde chuckled realizing she was being used as a body pillow. She could’ve spent hours in that position. It had been so long since she found herself snuggled by someone she deemed safe. She could’ve spent the morning hours watching the day’s light slowly fill the tiny room and listen to the birds sing their tune. She could’ve and would’ve if it wasn’t for the traitorous act of her bladder making it’s demand to be emptied.

Slowly, Meredith eased out from Chessy’s embrace. The brunette released an annoyed grunt before rolling over and returning to her soft snores.

“Jesus”, Meredith swore under her breath

The morning air was biting and it took everything not to jump back into bed and press against the warm body in it. Instead, Meredith pulled on her knitted sweater, the one she wore when she first arrived to the compound. It wasn’t her’s. It was stolen from her first survival partner.

Bennet.

Or “Benny”, as she called him.

Benny was a FEDRA officer who found Meredith sleeping in a children’s playground, a tunnel to be exact, in the wee hours, just a week after she ran from the abandoned high school turned quarantine zone. Richard was gone and any sense of safety left with him. She spent days walking aimlessly. She slept in abandoned cars and rationed her few vending machine snacks she snagged on her way out. The snacks ran out and her exhaustion took over. She remembered waking to a loud thunk against the hard plastic of the tube she was sleeping in. She remembers the flashlight beaming into her bleary eyes. Her throat felt raw as she tried to speak. She had cried herself to sleep less than a handful of hours before. She cried herself to sleep most nights.

“You’re out of regulated zoning, Citizen.” The officer behind the light scolded

He sounded young. Like a child playing dress up. She rubbed her eyes as she pulled together her thoughts.

“You’re out of regu-“

“I hear you!” She barked back

On shaking limbs, she crawled out of the tube and stood. Her body ached from lack of food, water and comfortable sleeping quarters. She stretched her back and released a groan as pinched nerves begged for relief.

“So…what? Im arrested now?” She asked

Benny scanned her and relaxed when the device confirmed she was free from infection. She couldn’t make out his features in the dark but she could feel him sizing her up.

“What Zone do you belong to?”

She shrugged.

He grabbed her wrist; the one with the identification bracelet.

“Zone 3, Section 8…..I know that one. That place burned down just a couple days ago. It’s a miracle you made it out. Most of ‘em didn’t make it out.”

She was grateful his light was pointed to her wrist and not her face. He couldn’t see her shock and despair. It was mostly women and children residing there. Kind women. Happy children. Each one anxious but hopeful. Each one just as scared as she was and just as, if not more, deserving to live.

“What’s your name?” Benny asked in a softer tone

“What’s it matter?” She replied

Her dejected tone was unavoidable. Her family was either dead or unreachable. Her only true friend had been dragged away. Life, on Earth, as she knew it, was over. She had never felt so helpless. She felt like someone tied a cement block to her ankle and threw her into the ocean. She felt herself sinking further into the inky black.

Sinking.

Sinking.

Sinking.

If he shot her right then, she would’ve thanked him with her last breath.

“Come on.”

He guided her through the dark with his flashlight and his hand firmly around her wrist. She obeyed. He guided her to the military-style truck. The type with the long trailer in the back with an arched canvas cover. Much like she’d see army men ride in when she’d watch classic macho films with her dad. It was the one vehicle parked under the one working street lamp. To her surprise, he didn’t place her in the back where most were tied up in for “humane mass transportation”. He brought her to the passenger side in the front. He guided her into the seat and buckled her seatbelt. He turned away for a moment before pausing, then quickly produced a zip tie, and secured her wrists.

“You understand, right?” He asked, somewhat arrogant and somewhat apologetic.

She simply raised an eyebrow. He flashed an impish grin before slamming the door shut. Benny climbed into the drivers seat and revved the engine to life. The A/C kicked in and warm air danced on Meredith’s icy skin as the golden oldies filled the small space. She closed her eyes and soaked in the small taste of “normal”. Benny kicked the car into gear.

“Let’s ride!” He said in a fake southern accent

The boyish glee in another hour on the job reminded her of Nicky. He was just as excited to tell her about the new type of grape hybrid they’re trying out on the Vineyard as he was to tell her about sweeping out the barn before a wine tasting.

Thirty minutes later, they pulled up to a barely functioning gas station.

“I gotta fill up. What’ya like?”

She stared at him in disbelief. He stared back before hopping out.

“I’ll go for a classic!”

He slammed the door and gave a little wave before bounding into the station. She sat in silence as she listened to the whir of gasoline slowly filling the tank. She looked down at the hard plastic digging into her skin. It wouldn’t take much to unbuckle the seatbelt, pop the safety lock and book it. She could find a sharp rock or something to cut the tie. Easy. She looked out the window. A long, winding, winter-laden expanse greeted her. Where would she go? What would she do? When did California get so cold?

She jumped at the sound of the driver door swinging open. Benny flashed another grin as he handed her a coffee and a honey bun. She looked at the meal suspiciously, unsure how to feel.

“It’s not poisoned, “ he laughed, “I’m sure you’re hungry.”

She sipped on the bitter liquid and felt some heat return to her limbs. Her fingertips burned as they transitioned away from early frostbite as she held the styrofoam cup. She glanced over to him, now illuminated in the florescent station lights. Meredith examined the face of her latest…captor? Savior? Either way, he looked as though he was barely in his twenties. He was undoubtably handsome with baby blue eyes, chestnut brown hair in a clean buzzcut, and a strong jawline. He was the poster boy for the All American Soldier.

“Are you a model?” He asked, before slurping his refreshment

Meredith smiled against the cup.

“No. Not a model.” She replied

She was asked that a lot. She did try out modeling for a short time during her late teen years and didn’t struggle much to book a few gigs but once she earned enough money to get to college she left the business all together.

“You should be!”

“Yeah, I’ll be on the cover of Infect Vogue in no time.” She scoffed

“Zombie Weekly” he laughed

“Undead Esquire”

“Flesh Eating Fashion”

“Kills-mo-politan!” They said in unison

They both chuckled.

“i could never model.” He stated, “I like donuts too much.”

“An officer who likes donuts? That’s original.”

“Hey! Don’t disrespect my people’s culture!”

She smiled before awkwardly shifting the coffee in her hand to try to open the pastry wrapper with her teeth.

“Here. Let me.”

He tore it open with ease. She barely got out a “thanks” before devouring the delectable bun in three bites.

“Damn. You really were hungry.”

“Mmmhmm” she hummed, licking the wrapper

He opened his bun and handed it to her.

“I think you need this more than me.”

“You sure?” She asked, already stuffing the second pastry in her face

He laughed.

“Yeah, Im sure.”

They sat in silence, sipping coffee and listening to Sinatra sing about his longing to fly to the moon. As her hunger pain eased away, some of her sanity returned. She drained the last drop of her coffee and let out a sated sigh.

“Thank you. Jail is going to be a bit easier now that I wont try to eat my own shoes.”

Bennet looked at her for a long moment. His eyes lingering on her tongue licking off a piece of glaze off her lip.

“How long were you out there?”

“On the playground?”

“Out of Zone.”

She considered lying for a moment but went for the truth.

“A week.”

“You made it a week? Alive and not bitten?”

Meredith simply held out her palms as a meager ‘tada’.

“You’re scrappy!”

“Most zombie models are.”

“Ya know…my partner recently fell in the line of duty. Bit by an Infect.”

She didn’t bother to reply.

“Dispatch cant send me a replacement for another week. Short on men.”

She didn’t reply.

“Kinda hard doing my rounds without a second pair of eyes to look out for any Infects or ill-intentioned.”

Meredith stared straight ahead as she thought how “ill-intentioned” felt like a big word for him.

“Maybe we could take the scenic route to booking.”

She continued to stare forward but felt his eyes on her. Always on her.

“Are there more honey buns on this route?”

“For the cover model of Zombie Vogue? Always.”

Meredith’s mind returned from the rumbling military truck to a small bedroom and a full bladder. She slipped out, closing the door as quietly as possible.

“Hello, Sister.” a voice said, inches behind her.

Meredith released a surprised yelp, destroying her attempt of keeping quiet. Lydia stared up at her in bewilderment. Placing a gentle hand on her arm.

“I frightened you,” she clucked, “forgive me.”

“Its fine.” She replied, her voice still rough from sleep, “What do you want?”

“The Reverend would like to see you in his office.”

“Me? Do you mean Annie? She’s still res-“

“Oh no! Goodness! Sister Annie needs all the rest she can in her condition. No, just you.”

“I need to - uh - make myself decent.”

“Of course! Blessed morning!”

“Yeah, sure.”

Meredith was nearly convinced The Reverend all but forgotten she lived on the compound. If he wasn’t busy drooling over Chessy, he was off in “prayer” or some other business not involving her.

What could he possibly need? What role did he want her to play?

A heavy pit sank in her stomach, burning even, like a honey bun washed down with bitter coffee.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t just a week or a scenic route.

It never is.

Benny, being a cop “on the beat”, during an apocalypse, was basically a nomad with a badge and a gun. He didn’t really have to answer to the law because he was the law. Well, as long as he patrolled all the wastelands all the higher-ups didn’t want to deal with. Benny wasn’t really an officer. He was a glorified shit shoveler. He’d I.D bodies, move them to waste dumps and kicked around vagrants he found hiding about. He’d report what he needed to and went on his merry way. He was nearly forgettable in the eyes of FEDRA.

Benny didn’t know that or, maybe, he just didn’t care.

Meredith would try to guess what action movie star he was trying to emulate when he’d speak. He was annoying but it was refreshing to see someone living out their best life when everyone else was so deep in despair. Could she blame him? He was being paid to drive fast, boss people around and to top it off he had a hot blonde as his “passenger princess”.

“Plant your feet…firm. Square off your shoulders. You gotta be ready for the kickback.” He said from behind her, “Take a breath.”

She breathed in the spring air. Tall blades of grass brushed against one another in the gentle breeze. They stood in an empty field. She eyed the line of empty soda cans propped up on an old wooden fence.

“Zero in.”

She pointed the gun to an electric green Mountain Dew can.

“Kill the bastard.”

She squeezed the trigger, heat and metal erupted in her hands, she yelped at the powerful jolt pushing back at her.

“Told ya it got a kick.”

“Nearly knocked me off my feet.” She laughed

“Would be easier not walking on those stilts.”

They both glanced down to the kitten pumps she sported.

“You think these are stilts? You should’ve seen the leather boots I had. Six inches.”

“I know about six inches.”

“Easy, Tiger.”

Benny loved a dirty joke but was mostly harmless. He was nearly a gentleman. Her safety was always important to him, he opened her door, offered his coat and he stuck to his word by providing a honey bun when he could find one. He really did his best to be a fun companion. His conversations were never boring or predictable. He taught her basic survival skills from his time in Boy Scouts. She learned how to light a fire, dress a wound, build a quick shelter, avoid dysentery or being eaten alive by an animal. He offered her some kindness in an unkind world. Though, he made it clear, his kindness wasn’t for free. Maybe it was ignorant or naive for her heart to sink the way it did when he’d park his cruiser in a secluded area after a stressful day, place his hand high on her thigh, and give it a little squeeze before unbuckling his belt.

“You understand, right?” He’d say half-arrogantly, half-apologetically

No, kindness is never free.

———————————————————-

The door was ajar but she knocked anyways.

“Enter, Sister.”

She hesitated.

“I don’t bite.”

She took a deep breath before she stepped into the office.

“Have a seat.”

She did. The Reverend gave a wide smile. He placed his pen down before clasping his hands on the desk. A clock ticked incessantly in the background. The oak desk felt too large and the bookcase lining the wall felt as though it was looming over her, like a disapproving schoolmarm. Meredith shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“I trust you slept well?”

“Yes.”

He was waiting for the ‘sir’, she couldn’t bare to give him the satisfaction. His smile tightened but he pressed on.

“And Annie? Did she rest easy after your…council?”

Meredith felt her mouth go dry.

“Do you need me to get her? I didn’t want to wake her up if…”

“Oh no. I wanted to speak with you privately. I feel we haven’t had a chance to really get to know one another.”

“You’re a busy man. You shouldn’t worry yourself with the likes of me. ”

“On the contrary, Sister. You’re a member of this family now and every member of this family deserves my undivided attention.”

“That’s too kind.” She stated blandly

The Reverend leaned back into his plush office chair as he examined his “family member” closely.

“You don’t like me,” he stated simply

“I never said that.”

“Its alright. I don’t quite blame you. Im a stranger. You’re in a strange new environment. An environment I lead with a…stronger approach than others. I can see why you’d be put off.”

Meredith pretended to pick lint from the hem of her sweater to avoid his gaze.

“Though, I feel we are alike. ‘Cut from the same cloth’ as they say.”

“How so?”

“You protect the meek.”

She continued to pick at invisible thread.

“How long have you known, Sister Annie.”

She looked up. He simply smiled.

“Annie is not meek.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“No, but you’re wanting to ask something else.”

“Perceptive.”

“A gift of discernment. I think they call it.”

He chuckled.

“Yes. Yes, they do. What is it you think I want to ask you?”

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs as she examined him closely.

“You want to use my friendship with Annie to your advantage.”

“Yes, but not to my advantage alone.”

“Oh?”

“To the betterment for all.”

“Of course.”

She didn’t mean for the acidity in her tone to be so prevalent. The muscles in his jaw strained but he continued.

“Did you know Father Martin well?”

“For a short time.”

“She loved this Martin?”

Meredith flashed back to a memory of Chessy and Martin, lounging by the pool. Him rubbing sun tan lotion on her back. At the time, she felt as though the two were mocking her. She felt as though they were in on the joke of her fiancé reuniting with his long lost love just a week before their wedding. She hated that scene, the way Chessy smiled, her face pink with blush as she reveled in the attention of man already smitten with her. Her whirlwind romance with Nicky looked like a sham next to the two lovebirds by the pool.The memory melted into standing with Chessy in the living room, as they were just beginning to understand one another, as her savior turned friend recalled the most painful moment of her life. The moment she had to mercifully end the life of the kind man who rubbed lotion on her back by the pool.

“More than you could possibly imagine.” Meredith said quietly, “why? do you love Annie?”

“More than you could possibly imagine.” He replied in kind, “have you been in love before?”

————————————————-

Benny’s lips curled into a smirk as they cruised down the deserted highway. Meredith finished adjusting her hair in the side rearview mirror before glancing over to him.

“What are you plotting over there?” She asked teasingly

“A surprise.”

“I don’t know if I like the sound of that.”

“This surprise you’ll like.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because this surprise, Madam Blake, will make you fall in love with me.”

The cruiser made an unexpected turn to downtown. This gave the blonde woman pause, though the two regularly jump into any dangerous situation for an adventure that would later fuel some adrenaline-induced sex, they avoided any Infect hot beds. The Infects, though changed, were still at their base mammals and mammals loved to stay in packs. These packs liked the dark, cramped and dingy. Abandoned office buildings and airports became dens for packs of Infects to cloister for their rest. Benny could be impulsive but he wasn’t stupid. He kept her not only alive but thriving for months. She had to just trust him.

After about thirty minutes or so, they pulled up to a giant, dilapidated building. It took her minute to figure out where they were until she recognized the faded and graffitied poster for Victoria’s Secret. She whipped around and smiled.

“Im taking my lady shopping!” Benny announced

They took one another’s hand before swinging open the large doors of what was once one of the many stores of “The Grove”.

The stores were mostly ransacked but Benny kept leading her down the walkway, a smirk still set.

“What are we doing?”

“Patience, Grasshopper.”

They approached a storefront, just as dilapidated as the next.Then they opened the doors and….

it looked like a real store.

Racks were lined with clothes, on mostly not broken hangers. The lights from the original store were illuminated. Benny produced a small cassette player and started blasting The Hits of the 80’s. Meredith fingered the clothing as she slowly walked the perimeter of the store. It was clear from the mix of styles and different levels of wear that Benny had gone through every storefront, gathering every piece of forgotten item for his makeshift pop up.

“Where did you find the time to do this?” She asked

He shrugged.

A creak broke her trance and she quickly scanned for danger. Benny held up his hands.

“Just me. I leaned on a board. I already cleared the area but I’ll keep watch. You enjoy yourself.”

Meredith let out a happy squeal before planting an eager kiss on his lips.

“Told ya I’d make you love me.”

——————————————————-

“Elizabeth?” The Reverend asked, “I asked a question. Have you ever been in love?”

She took a deep breath.

“Being in love is a fantastic mystery.”

He tapped his knuckles against the oak, it irked her, he pressed on.

“It is. That’s why I value my upcoming union with Annie. To have her as my bride is a responsibility I take very seriously.”

“Bride?”

“You didn’t know? We’re engaged to be married.”

Meredith felt the air suck out of the room and it took everything in her to pretend she was breathing. The taping switched to the drumming of his fingertips.

“….perhaps you’re not as close as I thought.”

She bit her tongue. Rage simmering.

“Perhaps not, but something tells me you still need me.”

“Perceptive.”

The tapping changed to just one finger tips. Tap tap tapping on her last nerve.

She simply smirked.

“It seems in her delicate state, Annie struggles with the idea of re-entering a holy union after her dear Martin. I need you to talk some sense into her. Remind her of whats at stake for her child, for her well-being, for her soul.”

“And if I don’t?”

A slap against the wood.

“This isn’t a negotiation, Sister.” He hissed,” I’ve been very patient with you but I’m reaching the end of my rope. Do not test me or -“

The rage took over.

“Or what!?” She barked

—————————————————-

It wasn’t the sunlight filling the room that woke Chessy from her first night of decent slumber in what felt like forever. It wasn’t the usual full bladder or dry mouth. It was the empty space beside her, the lack of warmth of another body in the bed.

“Meredith?” Chessy grumbled

An odd sound piqued her attention, causing the bleariness to dissipate quickly. At first, she thought it was the sound of the horses neighing but it didn’t fit that description. She rubbed her eyes and tried to remember the dream she was having. Something about a boat?

The sound again. Sharper. Louder.

Chessy froze.

Again.

She sat up in bed.

That wasn’t a neigh or caw or any usual animal sound. It was a scream. A woman’s scream.

Chapter Text

She didn’t see what he did to Meredith but she heard it. She didn’t want to imagine it, but the very thought ignited a rage deep within her.

The sound of his belt. Her scream. It was all too much.

It felt like she was watching a movie. She watched herself float through the halls as she followed Meredith’s cries. She pushed past Lydia and Mary. She ignored the two women’s attempt to hold her back. She gripped the door handle of the Reverend’s office and burst into the room.

The belt was still in air.

She reacted on pure instinct.

It was all a blur.

She knew she had the Reverend toppled onto the desk, she remembered the sound of the desk lamp clattering to the floor. She was surprised how quickly he reversed their momentum by pushing off the desk and sending her flying a cross the room. Thankfully, in the mess of it all, she managed to get the belt into her hand and she used it to her full advantage.

“Annie! You’re hysterical!” The Reverend chastised

He lunged for her but she scrambled out of his way. She had the sense to “be bigger than the bear” as her father had taught her, she hopped up on the desk, looming over the chaos.

The Reverend looked up at her in bewilderment, Mary and Lydia stood in the doorway pleading for her to calm down.

And Meredith…

Strong, powerful, resourceful, beautiful Meredith; remained as a ball on the floor. Even in the chaos, Chessy noticed a welt forming on the cowering woman’s back as her nightgown shifted down just a hair.

Chessy saw red.

“What did you do?” She hissed

“Sweet An -“

Chessy snapped the belt just centimeters from the Reverend’s face.

“What. Did. You. Do !?!” She repeated, through clenched teeth

“Discipline.” He stated coldly

A cry ripped through the air from Chessy’s throat before she tackled him once more, laying the belt on him over and over before a set of arms roughly pulled her off him. Chessy screamed, bit and scratched as she was subdued by the Matriarch of the home.

“Stupid girl!” Mary chastised, as she pressed her knee between the screaming woman’s shoulder blades, “Look what you’ve done!”

Chessy kicked her feet wildly before a weeping Lydia was ordered to pin them down. The Reverend loomed over the three.

“A demon has taken a hold of her” The Reverend growled, “we must free her. For the sake or the child. Bring her to my bedroom.”

As Chessy screamed and thrashed, as the women pleaded for her to stop, as The Reverend loomed over them; No one took notice of the trembling woman silently slipping out the door.

—————————————————-

Meredith’s breaths were ragged and labored as she burst into the morning air. Her mind was a whirlwind she couldn’t gain control of. In just a nightgown and a sweater, she didn’t have much to protect her from the wilderness before her but anything had to be better than the hell known as The Compound. It wouldn’t take much to leave. She could just pick a direction and walk. She gazed up at the rolling hills before her. A vast, winding, unfamiliar expanse greeted her. Where would she go? What would she do? When did Maryland become so unwelcoming?

She leaned forward to catch her breath, only for the newly forming welts to sting from her movements. She hissed and released a sob. Then more tears came. She covered her face with her hands and let out a frustrated scream. The last time she remembered letting out such a primal shout of rage was when she looked up at Nick’s smug little face when he chose T-H-E-M instead of her. God she was so mad. She stormed away, kicking a coffee pot into the dirt.

Then, she could storm back to her beautiful townhouse, lick her wounds and plot her next adventure. This time was a little different.

“You alright, Sister?” A voice asked

Meredith glanced over to see one of the men who lived in the back of the property staring at her.

She turned away from him as she wiped away her tears. Her head was slightly clearer. She glanced back at the main house and felt she couldn’t just waltz back in there. But she had to find Chessy and get out. But how?

“You sure you’re alright?” The man asked again, “Are you ill?”

He glanced down to her bare feet and back up to her disheveled state. Suddenly, Meredith fell to her knees and clasped her hands to her heart.

“Oh god!” She wailed, “Oh god in heaven! Save this child! Save this woman! She bleeds! She bleeds!”

Quickly, the man joined her in the dirt and removing his cap.

“Sister Annie!?!” He asked breathlessly

Meredith bit back a snort. It seemed, with The Parkers, Chessy was beloved furniture but with the fanatics she was basically their Cher….no…Madonna.

“Sister Mary can help, right?” He asked

“So much blood! It’s past her ability.”

They took one another’s hand.

“God will show us the way! He will be with our Sister Annie in her hour of need!”

“We must help her!”

“We will pray God will show us the way!”

Meredith rolled her eyes as he bowed his head. This guy needed way more guidance than she had patience for.

“Lord in Heaven!” The man droned, “show us your grace and mercy. Be with our Sister Annie and her child.”

“Guide us to healing hands!” Meredith continued

“Yes! Lead us to safety and health!”

“Guide us to a PLACE of healing! Where God’s light might shine on the INFIRMED!”

“Yes Lord! Heal our Sweet Annie with your caring hands!”

This guy can’t be serious.

“We are ill, Lord! You are our healer….our DOCTOR!”

The man’s head snapped up.

“There’s a hospital just ten miles down the road” he stated, his voice less dream-like and more matter-of-fact.

Though she didn’t know the man, she felt she caught a glimpse of him before his life on The Compound. They all were a different person before a compound, a pandemic, some Big Thing. She was losing count of Big Things to have happened to her.

“Is it still functioning?” She asked

“I think so. I heard some radio signals of patients being brought in when I first drove in here…I drove here! We have a truck! I don’t think its been used for a while but Im sure we could get it running long enough to get to the hospital! Follow me!”

“Bless you!”

She had said that countless times, robotically, since she arrived. This time, she meant it.

——————————————————————

Mary was remarkably strong for someone of her stature. She was a stout woman, just a couple inches over five feet, but her ability to yank up and drag a thrashing woman clear across the house was impressive to say the least.

The three burst into the larger bedroom.

“On the bed!” The Reverend barked

Chessy felt herself be tossed onto the flannel sheets like yesterday’s laundry. Once more, her arms and legs were pinned. Mary to her right. Lydia to her left. And the Reverend directly above her.

“My bible” he ordered

Mary snatched up the book from the bedside table and handed it to him. He expertly flipped to the page he desired.

“i’m not possessed!” Chessy cried

“Shut up!” Mary barked

“When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!’,” droned The Reverand, “For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of this man, you impure spirit!’”

Chessy heaved with all her might and nearly broke free until Mary slammed her back onto the bed.

The Reverend straddled Chessy and she could feel his arousal against her stomach. A new sense of panic washed over her. He could do whatever he wanted to. He knew it. She knew it. He had been biding his time. He had been waiting for his perfect excuse to use her in whatever way he pleased. He could “channel the power of god through his body to purify her” and no one would question it. He could make her bleed and say her so called child was the sacrifice God needed to bless their union. He could end her life right there and the herd would comfort their Shepard for the difficult decision he had to make for the good of the flock.

Ironic as it was, in that moment, she prayed. She prayed that she could survive this. She prayed that if she didn’t, her death would be swift. She prayed that Meredith got out and was running far away. She prayed that Meredith would run all the way back to that beautiful colonial home. She prayed that Meredith found someone else who was safe and kind. She prayed she’d grow old and live a long, easy life.

She prayed that God wouldn’t punish Meredith for the sin of the love she felt for her.

————————————————

They ran in a full sprint to the back of the property. Meredith followed dutifully as they rounded to the back of the large barn.

“She’s not much to look at but she does the job” he stated with a chuckle as he pulled the tarp to reveal a large, rusted clunker of a Ford truck. Bullet holes riddled the side and the once bright red paint had all but chipped away. Yet, to her, it might as well been a royal chariot.

“She looks beautiful to me” Meredith stated

They shared a smile. He popped open the driver door and poked his head in.

“Dang! This thing is chuck full of crap! She’s gonna wanna lay out in the back. Lemme clean up. You go get her stable and I’ll pull up front.”
Meredith hesitated. This kind man was oblivious to the fact that he was aiding two fugitives on the run. He’d find it odd if their very leader was literally fighting tooth and nail to keep Chessy out of that truck. Her instincts had been serving her well thus far, she had to press on.

“I’ll be right back!” She stated, discreetly snatching a tire iron from the bed of the truck.

————————————————

Chessy could feel the blood being cut off from her extremities by the weight of three grown adults pressing down on her. She met the piercing gaze behind the crucifix being held up to her face.

“Begone, Satan, inventor and master of all deceit, enemy of man's salvation!” The Reverend cried out, “Stoop beneath the all-powerful Hand of God; tremble and flee when we invoke the Holy and terrible Name of Jesus, this Name which causes hell to tremble, this Name to which the Virtues, Powers and Dominations of heaven are humbly submissive, this Name which the Cherubim and Seraphim praise unceasingly repeating: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the God of Hosts!”

Chessy had long since given up her fight to squirm out from under their grasp. She realized even if she cried out, “Im done! Im good! Demon gone!” It wouldn’t have mattered. This had nothing to do with her and everything with the chanting man prostrated atop of her.

“Lord! Hear my prayer!”

“And let my cry unto thee!” The two women chanted

Chessy let out a pained squeak as Mary’s knee pinched a nerve. Lydia didn’t make eye contact with her. She realized the young woman was placing the least amount of pressure on her.

“You’re crushing me!” Chessy whimpered, “You’re crushing the baby!”

Lydia bit her lip as more tears fell. Her eyes had a haunted look. A pitying gaze. As if she’d been in this position before.

“Lord! Be with thee!” The Reverend boomed

“And with thee in spirit!” The women chanted

The Reverend loomed over her. She considered using the last of her strength to spit in his face. A nice big wad to splat directly in his eye. But her mouth was so dry and she knew it would do nothing. A strange mix of panic and acceptance roared in the recess of her mind. Suddenly, a new body entered the room. Mary released a pained yelp as something hard cracked against her head before she was yanked, forcefully, off of the bed. In their shock, the two others jump back, releasing their grip. In a quick swing, Meredith smacked the tire iron directly to The Reverend’s temple. He, too, was yanked to the floor. Lydia let out a scream. Chessy quickly sat up as the feeling returned to her limbs. Meredith pointed the now bloody iron towards the girl.

“How could you!?!” Lydia wept

“You’re staying here or leaving with us! You choose! Now!”

The young woman stared wide-eyed before her face crumpled into a scowl as she turned on her heel and ran out the door.

“No!” Chessy barked

Meredith was about to reply in surprise to her companion’s outburst when a bleeding Mary lunged for the blonde and the two toppled to the ground, next to the deceased Reverend. The vision of a fuming Mary, wild-eyed, as blood poured down her face as she wrapped her hands around Meredith’s neck was the stuff of nightmares. Meredith kicked her feet as Mary’s hands continued to cut her air ways. Pressure built behind her eyes as she gagged and sputtered. Desperately, she clawed at the flesh covered vice crushing her into nothing.

“I told him!” Mary cried,” I told him not to trust you….you faggots! You’ve poisoned us! You ruined everything! You -”

Once more, a member of the flock was subdued by a tire iron to the head. Mary toppled forward, succumbing to the final blow. Meredith shoved the body off of her. Gasping as she stared up at Chessy.

“You ok?” The former nanny asked, holding out her hand.

She didn’t take it.

Catching her breath, Meredith looked around before snatching a t-shirt draped over a hamper and soaking it in the pool of blood forming around The Reverend’s head.

“Put this between your legs” Meredith ordered

“What!?” Chessy asked incredulously

“Trust me!”

The former nanny did as she was told as Meredith slowly stood. She pulled her friends arm over her shoulder and wrapped her hand around her waist, essentially making herself a human crutch. Chessy was confused but wasn’t about to argue with a woman with a plan.

“We gotta go.” Meredith stated, firmly.

They quickly made their way through the eerily quiet home and out the front door as the truck was just pulling up.

“He thinks you’re miscarrying.” She whispered, “don’t make a big show.”

Chessy simply nodded.

The kind man quickly jumped out and made his way to open the door for the women approaching him.

“Can she climb?” He asked

He reached a hand out and Chessy took it. She made a point to be swift but ginger in her movements.

“We need to get moving,” Meredith urged

“Of course” he replied

They quickly climbed into the front and the made their way down the impossibly long drive way. As the looming presence of The Compound slowly shrank in size into the distance, their anxiety dissipated. Foot by foot, they inched towards freedom. Chessy stretched out, awkwardly, in the back seat. Meredith turned from her spot in the front and reached for her hand. Chessy took it, gladly.

“You’re fine.” Meredith stated

“Everything is going to be fine.” Chessy replied

For a moment, they both truly believed it. It was going to be just them again. Them against the world. No creepy religious leaders. No forced marriages. No fake babies. Nothing but them.

The man in the driver’s seat smiled at Chessy through the rearview mirror. A gentle, reassuring smile that felt like a hot cup of cocoa on a bitter winter day.

“Don’t you worry, Sister Annie. You and baby are going to be alright. We go -“

The man quickly slammed on the brakes with a surprised shout before putting the truck in Park as he stared at the person standing in the road.

The figure was motionless. So were they. The figure raised an arm and….

It didn’t register even though they heard the pop. It didn’t register even though they saw the blood splatter and the clean bullet hole through the front windshield. It didn’t register as his large body slumped onto the steering wheel.

They didn’t scream. They just stared as the driver door swung open and the man’s body was roughly yanked out of the seat. Lydia said nothing, pistol in hand as she took his place. She barely addressed the passengers. She simply shifted into drive and turned the truck back into the direction of The Compound.

Chapter Text

Meredith glanced back at the lump of the kind man left in the dirt, as they drove away.

“You’re not really pregnant.” the young woman stated quietly

“No.” Chessy confirmed

Lydia’s scowl deepened. Her skin reddening as her fury mounted and tears trailed down her cheeks.

“Knew it” Lydia muttered, “I knew it.”

In her rage, Lydia pressed on the gas and the truck continued to barrel down the long dirt road. Meredith and Chessy glanced at one another. The truck had reached a speed that jumping out would only cause them more harm than good. They had to subdue the girl.

It was two against one. They could do it. The Compound was already coming into view. They had to act fast. Yet, it felt so wrong to hurt the young woman. She didn’t know better. She was parroting what she knew. It would be wrong to -

“I told him not to trust you. I told him the flock was pure but he had t…I could’ve provided a child if he just gave me more time. If he’d just….” Lydia swallowed her words with her emotion, “Once again! He’s fallen to his lust and I have to clean up the mess!”

Meredith looked forward, ocassionly, glancing at the pistol. Chessy, slowly, unlaced her shoelace from her boot.

“Another SLUT roaming this cursed land he succumbs to! Two faggots. Two new notches on his be-“

The flurry of angry words were halted by a gag as Chessy wrapped the shoelace taunt across the young woman’s throat. The truck lurched violently as its driver was, suddenly, occupied. Meredith lunged for both the pistol and control of the steering wheel. A loud pop erupted from the pistol, leaving a hole in the trucks roof, as Lydia foamed and flailed.

Meredith was able to knock the firearm out of the woman’s hand but that quickly became the least of their worries. Lydia’s foot was still set firmly on the gas and the truck was zig zagging about the dirt road.

Chessy was riding on pure adrenaline, all her body could do was hold the string taunt. Her hands were turning white from the intensity of her grip. The fight lessened as the young woman slowly lost consciousness but her foot still remained on the gas. As Lydia’s hands fell from clawing at the blonde, Meredith was abled to yank Lydia’s leg up and off the pedal. She gripped onto the wheel and by sheer luck and gritted teeth, managed to keep the car in control as it eased to a halt.

The momentum stopped. So did the three women. Chessy released her grip. Lydia slumped over. Meredith released a humorless laugh. They took a breath but that’s all the reprieve they were allowed.

Once more, a body was shoved out the drivers seat and another took it’s place. Meredith managed to squirm her way to behind the wheel and get her barrings. Chessy climbed into the front passenger seat.

“You ok?” Meredith asked

Chessy simply nodded before looking forward and letting out a groan. Meredith followed her gaze to see more battered trucks exiting the Compound gates.

“Can we get one freaking break!?!” Meredith growled, “buckle up!”

Chessy did as she was ordered as Meredith threw the truck into reverse, with impressive precision, she managed to get them facing back into the other direction before hitting the gas.

“Where did you learn to drive like that!?” Chessy asked with a laugh

The blonde shrugged.

“My dad invested in NASCAR. I spent most of my summers by the track.”

“You never cease to amaze me.”

“Proud of it, babe”

Meredith gave a wink. Chessy grinned. The sound of gunfire broke their moment of glee.

“How many we got back there?”

“Hard to tell,” Chessy muttered examining the view from the rearview mirror, “How much gas we got?”

“Full tank.”

“Ok…Ok good.”

They had gas, they had speed, it could buy them a minute or so to think up their next move. Chessy began opening glove boxes and running her hands under the seat.

“I don’t think they’d let him keep a weapon in here.”

“Im not looking for a weapon…AHA!”

Chessy found a roughly folded map crammed into the side door. As a she quickly scanned the topography and road markers, the Sicilian woman began to feel like herself again. She wasn’t a traumatized wilting flower in a cage, she was her father’s daughter, solving another riddle to survive. She was in control.

The engine rumbled as they zipped down the abandoned highway. Meredith kept an eye on the armada behind them. They were in a good lead but dodging the overgrown shrubbery and potholes was slowing them down. She zig zagged the obstacles as she tried to keep a distance. A bullet pelted into their bumper. Her main concern was avoiding a tire getting punctured, If they hit a tire, they might as well shoot them instead.

“Wait. OK! I think I have an idea where we are!” Chessy exclaimed

Meredith couldn’t help but smirk and her friend’s excitement. It was the most inflection she had heard in her voice in weeks.

“Turn left, there’s a shortcut to the nearest town…probably where the hospital is at.”

‘Wha- into the woods!? There’s bound to be Infects or some other set of crazies crawling around there!”

“Yeah but we got four? Five guys with guns on our asses! They will be shooting at them and not us! Plus, when we hit town we’ll have more places to shake them off!”

Meredith hesitated.

“What? “ Chessy asked with a huff, “You got a better plan? Turn here.”

“Bossy.” Meredith grumbled as she quickly turned onto the dirt road

The trucks kept in close pursuit. Chessy let out a yelp as a bullet shattered her sideview mirror. They braced for more gunfire but it became less frequent. The car rumbled on as they continued deeper into the woods. Even with the group hot on their tail, they could tell they were also driving with a bit more caution. The trees were thick and loomed over them. The trees were ancient, ever watchful giants, gazing down at the chaos the humans were creating that day. The air felt thicker. The threat of danger was something they could taste.

With a loud POP the tire gave out before the truck lurched and screeched as the vehicle limped across the forest floor until a full stop.

“Damn!” Meredith cursed

The two trucks pulled up behind them and their hearts sank. A large man climbed out.

“Times up, girlies!” He taunted, “you’ve had your fun! Now it’s our turn!”

More men began following suite, grinning, six all together. They looked like wolves who just caught two helpless lambs. They looked ready to feast. Meredith reached for Chessy’s hand. They looked at one another unsure of what to say. Their hearts pounded wildly as tears filled their eyes.

Meredith’s door was ripped open first. She let out a scream as large hands reached in and yanked her out of the seat. Chessy was next. They struggled to hold onto to one another but it was fruitless.

They were effortlessly carried out their truck and slammed onto the hood of another. Face down.

“Get the zip ties.” The first man ordered, “I don’t want these jezebels to get any ideas.”

A couple men chuckled as they approached.

Then they heard it. That familiar screech. The sound of a living corpse.

Then…

The sound of many living corpses.

“Guns ready!” The leader barked

Meredith raised her head until it was slammed back down.

“I’m not done with you!” He hissed

The once serene setting awakened with the rumble of uneven footsteps.

“Are we surrounded?” A younger man asked

“Shut it, Rookie!” Another growled

“Pull in. Full alert!” The leader ordered

The men formed a tight half-circle around their captives, guns raised. Both women managed to stand. Everyone was listening to the series of rustles and screeches as danger closed in.

In an instant, an Infect came flying out of the woods and directly into the apprehensive young man. A woman. Clearly a runner or athlete in her time before she became the creature. Gunshots rang out and shouts erupted as the group quickly attempted to save the terrified member of their team. Chessy quickly grabbled Meredith, guiding her away from the commotion, shielding her with her body and producing the pistol Lydia had used on the kind driver just thirty minutes prior.

Two more shot out from the forrest from the other side. Then three more from another direction. Soon a flurry of screaming men and infects blurred into chaos. It came in flashes before them…

The “rookie” screaming in agony as the infect sunk its tendrils into him under an hail of bullets

A larger gentleman slamming two separate attackers into the ground before shooting a third into the head, showering the crowd in blood.

Another young looking man of the six managed to shoot down two infects before accidentally shooting out the tire of the other truck next that was once hot on their tail.

Chessy quickly shot down a male infect who’s eyes gave a look of almost recognition when they landed on Meredith. She didn’t notice her companion blanche at the sight.

The leader of the group snapped the neck of an Infect who had already taken the life of the “rookie” when he was quickly dog-piled by three Infects.

Blood, screams, fired shots. A pure, bloody chaos.

As the men struggled to fight off the Infects, none took note of the two women climbing into the one working truck and slowly backing away. By the time the radicals even realized that the vehicle had been apprehended, they were kicking up dirt as they zoomed back onto the highway and into the sunset.

They held their breath until they crossed the town’s limits. They didn’t speak until they found a large building to park behind. It was’t until the engine was shut off did they dare breathe a sigh of relief. They turned to one another and immediately hugged.

“Holy shit! Holy shit!” Meredith exclaimed

Chessy laughed as the parted

“You’re incredible! You’re fucking incredible, Meredith!” She cried, shaking the blonde by the shoulders.

They looked into one another’s eyes, wide with near manic glee. Its unclear who initiated but suddenly they were in a frantic lip-lock. They kissed hungrily and messily. Hands tangled into locks of hair. Breath tangled into moan. They had been starved and they had to feast.

Meredith would’ve imagined their first kiss to be gentle and sweet. But, hell, she was alive! She, Meredith, not Sister Elizabeth. Not Cruella. Not hot-nameless-bombshell.

As the brunette released a happy moan from the back of her throat, pressed against her lips, Meredith finally understood what it meant to taste freedom.

Chapter Text

Not wanting to press their luck, they decided to hunker down until dawn. They made quick work of parking the truck in an old fire station before pilfering it for all the goodies it held. They didn’t speak to one other aside from the “all clears” as they canvased the area and decidedly made a temporary home in the Captain’s office. It had the best view of the streets but gave them more corners to hide in. They could melt into the scenery.

Chessy was busy pulling together a feast out of the MRE’s they found in the truck.
Meredith found a pile of old firemen’s uniforms and even a couple blankets. She made a nest for them under the desk. She knew they couldn’t make a fire that night. Though she felt they were comfortably out of harms way, it was best to remain on caution. It was going to get chilly. They’d have to huddle. Soon, their nest was made and the light began to ease into the warmer tones of dusk.

“What do we have?” Meredith asked, glancing back from her view of the street as she loaded the pistol with the last of their ammo.

“Taco Fajita slop with two coasters claiming to be tortillas and an apple turnover”

“Sounds promising.”

Chessy simply smiled. They tasted and grimaced but made no further complaints. It was as though they turned back the hands of time and once more they were camping on the linoleum floor of the drug store just a couple weeks prior, though, that felt like a lifetime ago.

A few times their eyes met before quickly looking away. They finished their meal and the tension in the air thickened with one question; Now what?

Chessy cleaned up the discarded packets turned plates as Meredith adjusted the blankets, feeling the evening chill creep in. The thought of cuddling close for body heat was equally terrifying as it was exhilarating.

“We don’t have to talk about it.” Chessy stated softly, “it doesn’t have to be….a…thing.”

Meredith looked up as Chessy settled in next to her and pulled a blanket over both of their laps.

“We could just be friends like before….like now.” She continued

Meredith pondered the statement for a moment. She glanced down at the faded material.

“Were we ever just friends?” The blonde asked quietly

“We’re something. Certainly not strangers.”

“No. Not strangers.”

Another heavy silence before, with a huff, Chessy clapped her hands together.

“Ok. Lets just say it. We kissed! People kiss! It happens! We survived a bunch of Infects and crazy people. We were excited and we kissed.”

“We were in the moment.”

“Yes! We were caught up in the not-dead-of-it-all!”

“Right.”

“Right.”

Another pause.

“But…” Meredith struggled with her words before letting out a defeated sigh

“But?”

They looked at one another again. Features painted in hues of gold. Two survivors placed on the edge between everything they’d been through and something they longed for. Hopeless and hapless but magnificently human.

“The trouble is that moment is over and…I still want to kiss you.”

Chessy examined the woman before her, searching for any hint of humor or deceit before a small smirk graced her lips.

“Well, that’s quite conundrum.”

Meredith couldn’t think of a funny quip or sarcastic reply. All she could do was glance down at those smirking lips. They leaned into the gravitational pull. Chessy cupped Merediths cheek and, once more, their lips met.

No longer the hurried mash of lips and teeth. The adrenaline eased out of their systems. They allowed themselves to taste one another. Gentle. Slow. A minute dance of push and pull. They savored one another.

They parted.

“Well, Im not mad about that.” Chessy stated

Meredith laughed fully and the tension broke. They cuddled close and nestled deeper into their nest. The drop of adrenaline, the food settling in their stomachs, the giddy joy of kissing a girl they’ve always liked, zapped out the last of their energy. Meredith was fighting to keep her eyes open when she felt a kiss being pressed against her temple.

“For giving me not one but two hell of a kiss, I’ll keep first watch.”

“You’ll actually stay awake? We won’t wake up to a couple Infects inviting us to spice up their marriage?”

“Go to sleep, weirdo.” The brunette chuckled “I’ll wake you in five hours.”

Meredith, with very little need of convincing, slipped into easy, happy, dreamless slumber. Chessy, on the other hand, slipped into her memories.

——————————————————

Moonlight filled the tiny cabin of the Caribbean Cruise. Chessy, sprawled across a luxurious bed, was drifting closer to slumber. It was all so perfect. The moonlight illuminating into the honeymoon suite, the rock of the ship, Marty’s finger tips lightly grazing her naked hip. They had just made love, as they had endlessly on their travels.

“The waves look marvelous,” Marty said, his head resting on her chest

Chessy simply replied with a sated hum as she lightly grazed lazy patterns across his back.

“It all feels like a dream” he continued, “just a year ago, I was on jetting to The States to switch back the girls and now…” He let out a short laugh, “now look at me. A married man.”

“Got yourself an ol’ ball and chain.”

His fingertips stilled before he lifted his head. Even in the darkness, Chessy could tell he was giving her serious gaze.

“Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Don’t insult my wife.”

Chessy blushed. She considered laughing or replying with a saucy joke about “teaching her a lesson”, but his sincerity threw her off. He did that. He would throw her off kilter. Never enough to completely discombobulate her but enough to force her to pause for a moment and see life from a different perspective.

“Sorry” she replied, just as sincere.

“Forgiven” he said in kind, before giving her a quick kiss

They returned their attention back to the waves.

“Are all cruises like this?” She asked, breaking an unreadable amount of comfortable silence.

“This is my first one.”

“I thought you said you’ve been on boats before.”

“Only on a sail boat with my Uncle. I’ve also served on a yacht a time or two.”

“Met any hot stewardesses on there?”

“Oh yes. She offered to serve the soup and I just about offered to serve her something hot as well.’’

“Sir!” She gasped in feign shock

They giggled.

“I did date a cruise Captain for a short time.” He said thoughtfully

“Was she as cute as the soup stewardess?”

“He was a tall drink of water but nothing in comparison to her.”

She paused for just a moment. Marty’s sexuality was not a secret between the two of them. He was casual about his interest and history with men. He assured her he was clean and always protected himself. So shortly after losing one friend after another to the AIDS epidemic, the real fear stuck to them both. But past the fear, there was no judgement. A healthy curiosity. But nothing more.

“Good to hear.”
“Any strapping fellows you served soup with before me?”

“I’ve only served on one Yacht. So no.”

“Not even…Nick.”

“What!?” Chessy laughed

“What? Hallie informed me her father never really dated much after Lizzie left. He’s all alone on this vast vineyard. All alone with a delicious little number working as his governess.”

“EW!” She laughed, swatting his shoulder, “No! Nick is like a brother to me! Ugh! He’s cute but we’re not each other’s type.”

“What is your type?”

“Ruged butlers with accents.”

Marty chuckled.

“Any preferences of the gentler sex? We don’t speak much of your experience in that area.”

“What’s with the third degree?”

Marty sighed before moving to sit up and stretch out his back.

“I’m just getting to know my wife more? Is that a crime?”

Chessy rolled her eyes but pushed on.

“We’ve all gone to college…Community College…two classes…you get the point. I dated a musician for a few months when I first moved to California but nothing past a kiss or two after that. Think I heard one of her songs on the radio.”

“Ohhhh what was the song? Maybe you were her muse”

“Oh she had plenty of muses, hence why we didn’t stay together. The song? Something a bout a window and needing water? She was big on symbolism. Kinda the serious type.”

“Is that your type in women? Serious?”

“No…more…determined. Decisive. Decisive women are hot. I do tend to lean towards Blondes.”

Marty began to chuckle then fall into a full laugh. Chessy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“What’s so funny?”

“I - Im sorry, my love. It just. It explains a lot.”

“What does it explain?”

“Why you were so irked by her”

Chessy stared in confusion.

“Cruella. The Fiancee. The Forbidden Fruit. Your School Girl Fantasy.”

“Meredith?!” Chessy sputtered, “I was no- I- I didn’t…NOT irked by her! And Im not…was not INTO her!”

“Darling, there’s no need to be embarrassed.”

“I’m not embar-I- sh- she was the enemy! She was threatening to send the girls off to Sweden or Mars or something! And..you - who’s side are you on anyway!?! Team Twin remember!?!”

“Yes. We’re always Team Twin. But we already agreed the girls took it too far and it doesn’t stray from the fact that Meredith is an attractive woman. A woman, I remember, you describing as someone who has ‘legs for days’.”

Feeling her face heat up with embarrassment, Chessy released a frustrated huff before flopping over to bury her face in a pillow as Marty laughed.

Chapter Text

“Mer…”

A familiar sound. Low and soothing. Warm.

“Meredith”

Warmth was a gentle call from somewhere in the darkness.

“Meredith!”

A touch of urgency. She should go to it. It was so conflicting. Warmth both held her as a happy captive while urging her to leave.

“Meredith! Wake up!”

Meredith woke to a firm shake against her shoulder. It was dark, yet not all encompassing. Moonlight casted shapes and shadows. An unfamiliar room greeted her. Suddenly, reality snapped back into place and Meredith jolted from her prone position onto her elbow.

‘What happened?” She asked, her voice rough, “are we surrounded!?”

“No! No.” Chessy soothed, “you were having a bad dream.”

“What?”

Meredith looked up into the featureless face next to her in the darkness. A hand cupped her cheek.

“You were whimpering, hon. In your sleep.”

“Oh”

The blonde eased back down onto her makeshift pillow and stared up at the ceiling. She realized she was slightly out of breath. She wondered if the heat flushing her face came from her bad dream or the embarrassment of being caught having one. Chessy made no rush for answers, and she was thankful. After a few moments of silence, she felt her bedmate reach over for something.

“Here” Chessy said softly, “have a sip.”

The shape of a canteen was held up above her head. With a huff, she sat up slightly and took a couple of swigs. As much as she hated the act of pity, she did have to admit, it helped soothe the nerves. The canteen was quickly discarded and Meredith felt Chessy settle back into the nest with the silent invitation to join her.

Meredith placed her head on the other woman’s chest. She closed her eyes and listened to the heartbeat just one sternum away. The low, even rhythm eased her into a normal breathing pattern. Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt fingertips lightly stroke her hair. Warmth held her as a happy captive once more.

“Who’s Benny?”

Meredith’s eyes popped open. Her body tensed.

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

She could see how The Parkers kept Chessy on board for so long. She would be exactly someone she’d want to come home to from a long, bad day at school. She allowed Meredith to come to her at her own pace. No forced bonding. No expectations. So without the pressure, she took her time to reply.

“He was…a guide. He helped me adjust to…this kind of life.”

“Mmm”

“We did kind of use each other at first but…he really became something special to me overtime.”

“Is he the one who brought you to Maryland.”

“No. We were already moving this way but he…”

A vision of those eyes, half-crazed, glinting with recognition flashed before her and the sound of a choked sob exited her throat before she could stop it. Chessy wrapped her arms around her as she wept.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you dare. You let it out.”

———————————————————-

“Wake up, sleepy butt!” Benny yelled

He gave her butt a pat as she groaned.

“Nooooo. What the hell!?!”

She sounded like a grumbling teenager on the first day of school, not yet adjusted to real world hours after weeks of staying up to ungodly hours and sleeping the day away.

“Come on! New orders from the man upstairs!”

Meredith peeked one eye open to glare up at her all-too-eager survival buddy.

“God?” She asked

“No!” He laughed, “my C.O. back at Base. They need more boots on the ground out East. Guess some Voters out there are getting a little too rowdy!”

She felt her face fall but he didn’t notice. He never did. Voters. A mocking nickname for the every day people just trying to survive. Every day people who haven’t turned into a zombie, or joined a psychotic cult or become part of the pseudo dictatorship. Hard to control the masses when the masses are scattered and dwindling. She managed to prop herself up on her elbow as she watched him cram his belongings into a large dry bag.

“Should I get packing?”

Benny gave her a wolfish grin.

“After the amazing things you were doing last night, girlie!? Hell no! You sit there and enjoy some coffee. I’ll get it done.”

“Good boy!” She teased

He winked as he bounded off to pour her a cup.

He wasn’t mean. He wasn’t bad. He was young. He was eager. He was simply parroting what had been drummed into him when his brain was still forming. He took good care of her. He made her smile. He also made her so sad. She truly grieved the hate he’d been taught. She truly grieved the life he could have lived if the world hadn’t fallen apart. She couldn’t sit with those thoughts very long. If she did, she’d crumble into a million pieces, and that’s not how Meredith Blake would go out. So she stored that thought away in the little box in her heart where she kept memories of her mother’s smile, the smell of her father’s jacket, the last hug from her sister and the sound of Richard’s laugh.

They packed, ate breakfast, and bid farewell to the abandoned Winnebago they called home for two months. Once more, they piled into the cruiser and headed off to the next adventure.

“You ever been out East?” She asked from her usual perch in the passenger’s seat, feet propped up on the dashboard.

“I went to my Uncle’s wedding in Jersey as a kid. I was in it, actually, but I don’t really remember” He answered, “pop me.”

He opened his mouth as she popped an m&m onto his tongue.

“Awww little you as the ring bearer?”

“Yeah. Apparently, three year old me thought it was lame and just popped a squat in the middle of aisle and took a hot shit. I don’t think my Aunt ever forgave me for that.”

“I can’t believe you’re telling me this story while we’re eating chocolate”

“You asked and only your mind went there! Im just making conversation and enjoying a delicious snack.”

Meredith snorted.

“You?”

“What?”
“Ever been out East?”

“I visited New York a couple times. The shopping there was to die for! Everything about that city was fabulous!”

“I’d take you there if it hadn’t become Infect City.”

The sweets in her mouth turned slightly bitter at the reminder.

“Yeah well….what do you think we’ll find up in Maryland?” She asked, eager to change the subject

Benny simply shrugged.

“Pop me” he stated

She did.

“What are you hoping to find, Ms Blake?” He asked

She thought for a moment before she could come up with her only honest answer.

“Home,” she said quietly, “I hope to find home.”

————————————————————-

Dawn peaked over the horizon, bringing an end to an emotional but uneventful night. They didn’t say much as they prepared for their trek back to a compound of their own.

“You think we should check out this place before we go?” Meredith asked, as they tossed the remaining MRE’s into the bed of the truck.

“It would be a shame to return empty handed” Chessy pondered, “but I don’t want to hang around too long.”

“Lets give it an hour. Peek around for anything promising and if nothing comes of it we go.”

“One hour”

Meredith moved to get in the passenger seat before the brunette halted her with an impish grin.

“Uh uh. You can’t expect to be a Passenger Princess after the insane shit you were pulling behind the wheel yesterday. We’re going to need your skills if any surprises pop up.” Chessy stated before tossing Meredith the keys, “it’s all yours, Hot Wheels.”

It was an odd feeling being teased by the former nanny. One half of her was already whipping up a biting retort that would put any brassy broad in her place. Yet, the other half found it strangely enjoyable to be teased by the other woman. She liked the way the nicknames came out of her mouth. She wanted that mouth to call her more names. Names that were only meant for her, even if it was only to poke fun. She wanted that mouth to say her name, breathy and needy. She nee -

“Meredith! We’re down to fifty nine minutes to snoop! Let’s get a move on!”

“Yes ma’am.”

—————————————————————-

A few shared stories and comfortable silences passed before the cruiser rolled up to the second check point of their trip. Information was constantly changing and technology wasn’t as reliable as it had been, so FEDRA set up check points every few hundred miles for foot soldiers to receive any updates and allow the system keep tabs. Most check points were former police or fire stations but some were barely functioning shacks that happened to be in a convenient location. Much like the one they were looking at as they pulled onto the over-grown driveway.

“You sure this is the place” Meredith asked, observing the rotting wood of the once beautiful porch, threatening to collapse at any moment.

“1023 Oak Lane,” Benny stated, “that’s what they told me.”

Meredith didn’t bother to reply. This wasn’t the first official shanty she’d accompanied him too, but she always prayed it would be her last. The place always gave her the creeps and the hungry stares the loitering officers would give her didn’t exactly help either.

“Ah! See! FEDRA emblem right there in the window!” Benny stated gleefully, “Why you gotta doubt me, girlie?”

“Because you’re as dumb as you are cute.”

“You think I’m cute?”

“I wouldn’t waste my time with you if I didn’t.”

“I’m flattered. You relax here and I’ll be back in a jiffy!”

“Wait! You’re not leaving me here!”

Benny rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the car before leaning down to flash his award winning grin.

“I have to sign a paper. That’s it. I’ll be two seconds. I ain’t leaving your forever.”

He gave a wink before shutting the door and making his way into the home. She would laugh bitterly every time she recalled his last words. The irony, it was nearly poetic.

It didn’t take her fifty nine minutes to realize something was wrong. Maybe ten. But it felt like forever. She sat in her seat, adjusting the mirror, fixing her lipstick, flipping through CD’s, and whatever nervous tick one does while sitting in anticipation in the passenger seat of a car. She didn’t hear cries of distress or see shadows locked in battle. It was the ever stretching silence. A change in the air. Something deep in her gut just knew. She felt a sense that a deep and comfortable connection had been severed. She didn’t want to go in but she knew she had to.

Slowly, she pulled a handgun from the glovebox, the one for “emergencies” and only that. She stepped out of the car on shaky legs. She approached the the building, gun at the ready, like those cheesy cop shows she’d watch late at night to unwind.

Step by step. Inch by inch.

She’s on the porch.

Creak by creak. Groan by groan.

She moved closer to the door.

Snarl by snarl. Teeth on flesh.

She’d seen enough.

In a flash, she was in the driver’s seat and roaring the engine to life. Perhaps, she saw a figure in the doorway as she peeled out the driveway but she didn’t wait to confirm.

He was gone. She was alone. She had to get away.

She continued to sob as she whizzed down the deserted highway. She screamed and pounded her hand against the wheel. Flashes of Benny’s grinning face assaulted her minds eye. She felt she’d lost a limb. She lost her friend. She lost a piece of her mind. She fought the ungodly sounds, playing on a loop in her mind, of flesh being torn into by the possessed creature in a FEDRA Commander’s uniform. She screamed again as her feet pressed on the gas. Tears blinded her vision. Suddenly, a pole appeared before her. She slammed on the breaks and swerved but the speed was too fast. She corrected too late. Before the sickening crunch of two metal objects slamming into one another, when a wave of relief washed over her with the promise this might be her end, a surprising vision came to mind. It wasn’t Benny and his wicked grin. It wasn’t her mother and her infectious laugh. It wasn’t Richard and his ever present glass of booze and the latest tidbit of gossip.

It was a piece of pie.

Hot from the oven. It was the first act of decent kindness she’d received in weeks. It was the first taste of carbs she’d had in over a year. A small, warm, edible apology from a sheepish Nanny, handed to her in silence as she collected her few belongings from the Parker Estate after the humiliation of calling off a wedding.

That memory was her comfort as she lost consciousness.

Sometime later, she was discovered by Dave. Another foot soldier with the same orders. He found her bleeding from the temple and mumbling nonsense about apple pie. He stitched her up, called her pretty and the cycle continued. He was sweet and kind but he wasn’t Benny. He was funny and energetic but he wasn’t Benny. No one was like Benny and that remained true for any man lucky enough to cross her path.

He was always the comparison. A comparison that kept her at arms length from anyone who tried to come close and made her eager to part ways at the nearest chance. A comparison that had her rolling out of a cruiser and darting into the nearest neighborhood during a fight, a fight showing a less sweet side of Dave, a violent side. A comparison that found her plummeting into a hole. A comparison that left her trapped in the Earth and gazing up at someone who couldn’t be put in comparison.

She wasn’t like Benny but in all the right ways, and the few parts of her that was like him, made her even better. Yet, she was on a tier all of her own.

Maybe, in some odd way, he led her to Chessy. Maybe, in some odd way, he knew that’s where she needed to go. She needed to go home.

—————————————

The town proved to be a bust but neither complained. Chessy managed to figure the general location of her house and pointed them in the right direction. They drove in comfortable silence until Chessy let out a chuckle.

“What?” Meredith asked

“Its so odd. I just had the most random craving.”

“Oh?”

“Honey buns. You remember those?”

Meredith smiled sadly,

“Yeah…but you know what sounds even better?”

“What?”

“A hot piece of apple pie.”